Lost and Found
by Sulphurya
Summary: Three years since Jenova. Two years since Jinrei. Now three silver haired men arrive with a mission. Friendships will be formed, love will be tested and lives will be lost forever. AeriSeph, RuTi and the usual gang!
1. The Awakening

**Prologue;**

_At the bottom of the Northern Crater, there was movement. A slender arm twitched slightly. A weak sigh. A pair of Lifestream green eyes with slit pupils opened, while a frown marred porcelain features. A memory. A mission. A name. Mother. Sephiroth? Kadaj..._

* * *

**1. The Awakening.**

The sun was setting, and the two figures that sat on the roof top was gazing at the wonderful sunset. However, the mood was uncomfortable for one, and resigned for the other. Only a few words had been spoken since the latter of the two had joined the first, but they both knew what the other was thinking.

"She's worried, you know," Vincent finally said silently, not taking his eyes of the multi-coloured horizon.

Cid gave a faint nod. "I know." He didn't want to elaborate. He just wanted to be left alone, and the former Turk knew that.

A barely noticeable sigh. "Cid, she thinks..." Vincent finally glanced over. "She thinks you're angry. That she's done something wrong."

"I ain't angry," Cid muttered with a frown, feeling that horrible yank of guilt again. Was that woman always going to make him feel like that? "Shera should know that by now. She usually reads my mind and knows what I want, even before I do." He loved her, but right now he didn't have patience with her low self-esteem. Even if he was the one responsible for it? The pilot groaned silently and pulled his knees up to his chest to fold his arms around them while resting his forehead on top. "Dammit, man! I can't deal with this! I'm not... I just..."

Vincent studied his friend and once again felt torn between the two. Cid was acting like an idiot, and most likely knew it too. Shera was slowly shattering into pieces, and Cid probably knew that as well. Still, the dark haired man knew that fear was an enemy that didn't fall as easily as a monster you could strike at with a weapon. "At least talk to her. You owe her that."

Cid returned to stare at the sunset. "I dunnow what to say, Vince." He managed a bitter smile. "I don't even know why I'm reacting this way! I just... I don't think I can do it."

"Cid Highwind, if someone like me can manage it, then I assure you that the odds are in your favour," Vincent declared in a gentle voice and a faint grin. "You just need to calm down and think about things, ok? Stop panicking, and breathe."

"Breathe, huh?" Cid met the crimson gaze and shrugged. "I can't do anything right. Not even this."

Vincent gently placed his human hand on the weary pilot's shoulder. "We all make mistakes, Cid, but if you don't sort things out real soon... It's going to be too late."

The blonde nodded again, but avoided his eyes. "I know what I should do... I just don't know if I can." A half-choked laugh. "I mean, seriously, can you even imagine me as a... as a... you know?"

"As a father?" Vincent asked, forcing the pilot to acknowledge the dreaded word. "Yes, I do. And so does Shera. You should have a little more faith in yourself, Cid."

This time, Cid shook his head. "Nah, man." He nervously started fidgeting with the sleeve of his flight jacket. "I ain't cut out for this. Me and Shera, we never even talked about this! A-and now... Now it's too late!"

"You're making it sound like the end of the world," Vincent declared softly. "Considering all that you went through two years ago, I thought you of all people had learned to appreciate life. You're going to have a child, Cid Highwind. You should rejoice!"

Cid glanced hastily over at the other man. "Did you? What was the first thought that went through your mind?"

A wry smile, then Vincent brushed away a lock of his black hair that was dancing in front of his face. "I think it went something along the lines of; Is this a joke?" He allowed Cid to grin weakly, then continued in a solemn tone. "But I am rejoicing now. Every single day, and every single time I see Dawn. She is the only thing I ever did right in this world."

Cid got a pained look and he trembled before gazing away again. "I just..."

"You just what?" Vincent asked resigned, fearing there would be no reasoning with the pilot. "What are you so afraid of that you're willing to risk your wife and unborn child?"

"I don't want my kid to hate me, ok?" Cid snapped, getting up to glare at the former Turk. "You all know it, that I'm not a... not a nice guy! I swear, and I do whatever damn well pleases me, and my planes are my second wives! A-and I got this curse inside me! How the hell am I supposed to raise a kid?"

Frowning, Vincent got up as well, sensing there was more to this than what Cid was saying. "Why would your child hate you? Don't tell me you're not a good person, because I've fought beside you for years now. I know you."

The pilot shook his head. "Just trust me, Vince... I wouldn't make a good dad, ok?" And so he jumped down to gracefully land on the lawn, before finally walking inside the house he'd shared with Shera for so many years. Only now he had to pretend he didn't hear her hurt voice whispering softly to Rain in the kitchen, and know that this was a hurt he could never make up for.

* * *

Aeris smiled against the lips against hers, trying to swat her attacker away with a half-hearted slap at his chest. "Sephiroth!" She completely failed at sounding strick, her tone heavily tainted with laughter. "I'm going to be late!" 

"Call in sick," Sephiroth drawled, sliding his arm around her slender waist. "They'll manage, and you know you want to."

The brunette managed to squirm free of his persuading embrace and brushed her hair out of her flustered face. "You're forgetting one thing, genius."

Sephiroth grinned predatorily, moving towards her again. "And what would that be, Aeris?"

Smiling sweetly, Aeris circled the sofa to keep something between them. She knew she wouldn't be able to withstand him for a second if she fell into his embrace again. "That you have a mission you agreed to do today, and you also promised our daughter that you'd visit her before leaving!"

The silver haired man froze and blinked. She had a point. He hated when she was right. Aeris was always right, when he thought about it. Sighing, he nodded in defeat. "Alright... Alright..."

Softening at the sight of the unmistakable disappointment in his face, Aeris dared to walk over by Sephiroth's side again to place a light hand on his chest. "Tell you what? How about I ask Lily if she don't mind keeping Zefiris over the night, and we can have an evening just by ourselves?"

Sephiroth lit up instantly, and tried to hide it. "Sure... If you want to..."

"I do," Aeris assured, reaching up to steal a light kiss. "So you make darn sure you come back in one piece, ok?" She knew he was the most powerful warrior on the planet, but she still worried about him. Sephiroth was powerful, but he wasn't immortal. Aeris had nearly lost him once. She did not want to experience that again!

Smiling, the silver haired man pulled her into a warm hug. "Nothing can keep me away, babe!" He loved the feeling of her in his arms. The scent of her. The heat. Sephiroth released Aeris abruptly and took a step away. Tonight couldn't come fast enough, he realised. "Yeah, uhm, I guess I'd better be off to say goodbye to the Pumpkin."

Aeris giggled, marveling that the man still reacted after two years in her company and countless non-elegant viewings of her face when Zefiris had kept her up at nights when she was sick. After a small, but wonderful wedding where she swore to be his forever. "Take care, Sephiroth. Tell Zefiris I'll be by later, ok?" She couldn't help herself as she sauntered towards Sephiroth once again. "And remember; I love you." Slender arms around his neck, a long and deep kiss, and Aeris almost felt bad as she watched him stumble out of the house. "Be safe, Sephiroth!"

Her reply was a weak wave, and she snickered silently at the silly thought of him at least being warm enough for the trip!

They'd continued to live in Icicle town, since the defeat of Jenova and Jinrei. People here didn't stare and Sephiroth was accepted like one of their own. They even turned to him for help. So, he'd become somewhat of a bodyguard and hunter. It wasn't until recently that Aeris had started working a couple of days a week in the store. Lily, who was running the Icicle inn, had offered to baby sit Zefiris while she was at work. Other than that, Aeris had created an impossible flower garden behind their house. Sephiroth claimed that she'd been wrong when she'd said the soil in the Midgar church was special. He firmly believed it was Aeris who gave the flowers souls and life.

She was certain Hojo would have had a thing or two to say about that. The thought brought a sad smile to her face. It was only a few days ago since they'd been at Hojo's and Lucrecia's graves. Life wasn't always fair, Aeris mused as she pulled on her jacket. Hojo and Sephiroth had barely started being able to be in the same room without trying to kill each other, Lucrecia appeared only to die, and they both had to leave before their son got to know them at all!

Aeris had hated Hojo, feared him, and now she almost... missed him? His sour remarks. The battles between him and his son. The glimmer of heart she'd seen, and how desperately he tried to hide it. It was strange, but... It just felt uncompleted!

A quick check on her PHS revealed a message from Tifa, and Aeris smiled gently at the confirmation of their girl night a few nights from now. The two were still good friends, as were their men. Sephiroth and Rufus complained about being used as baby sitters, but they never objected.

Actually, Aeris was in contact with all her friends. Unlike the last time, they'd decided to make sure they didn't lose contact this time! That was... Cloud and Jessie were still missing. No one had heard a single word from them. Aeris was surprised at how much that hurt. She never thought Cloud would just leave like that. She knew she probably deserved it, but Cloud had always been the better man. Late nights, Aeris sometimes gazed out the window and wondered... Where was he? Was he thinking about her too? Why hadn't he said goodbye?

Aeris forced the thoughts away and opened the door. She had a job to do, a daughter to check up on, and a romantic evening to plan!

* * *

Sephiroth glanced up at the sky and sighed wearily at the sun's location. It was still at least four or five hours before they would return to Icicle, and he to Aeris. Trigger warked softly as if to comfort him and got an absent pet on her neck. 

Boring merchants and their trips to Bone Village to pick up supplies sent from the mainland. Monsters and thieves had always had a bad habit of intercepting the merchants, and Icicle town had suffered more than once of food shortage, but that had all ended after Sephiroth had agreed to accompany the defenseless people. He didn't mind the gil, but was hoping they could start learning to fend for themselves soon! Leaving his Aeris and their daughter for an entire day once a week did not sit well with the former general. Sephiroth would be happy doing the hunting and removal of annoying monsters deal, as it rarely took more than a few hours. The feeling of freedom, to be allowed to do whatever he wanted, was something he was growing more fond of by each day. It was his life, and he alone was deciding how to live it.

It was wonderful and dead scary at the same time!

Out of nowhere... A glimmer of sunlight on metal.

Sephiroth unsheathed the Masamune just in time to deflect the bullet intended for the merchant beside him. Someone was shooting at them?

The two merchants cried out in fear, and their chocobos started stomping nervously as the silver haired man made sign for them to keep still while Lifestream coloured eyes scanned the surrounding area. Where had that shot come from?

For one horrid moment, Sephiroth thought he was staring at a clone sitting on a huge motorcycle. Like the ones Jenova had produced three years ago. But then the second passed, and he realised that this person had even more delicate features than him, but the resemblance was frightening! The eyes meeting his were the exact same shade and shape. The once so great general found himself unable to speak.

"Big brother, I see your honour your reputation."

His voice was different as well. For some reason this send a small wave of relief through Sephiroth.

"Heh. That was nothing." A second voice spoke, and another silver haired man drew attention to himself where he was sitting on a motorcycle as well, on top of a small hill. "Anyone could've stopped that bullet. We haven't seen him fight yet."

Sephiroth frowned, not liking the situation one bit. At least this second copy was a bad one. Much too tall, too heavily muscled and short hair. But the eyes... "Who are you people?" Sephiroth growled, tightening his grip on the Masamune, and praying that the terrified merchants would do the sane thing and keep still. "Is there a dress-like-Sephiroth party, and no one invited me?"

"I'm Yazoo," Yazoo explained, placing a slender hand on his chest before gesticulating softly towards the other person. "And that there is Loz." There was barely withheld glee in his eyes as he locked gazes with Sephiroth again. "We're your brothers."

The words felt like a physical slap to his face and Sephiroth was unable to hide the confusion on his face. "What?" The idea was ludicrous! Hojo never had any other children, and Lucrecia never got the chance. "I should warn you! I don't like bad jokes. Turn around, go away, and no one gets hurt."

Yazoo tilted his head slightly, like he was somewhere between half dreaming and half paying attention. "I don't do jokes, big brother. Mother sent us here to find you."

Mother. The word sent chills through Sephiroth and he felt something react inside him. A tug. A whisper. A voice dead for two years. "Who are you?" Sephiroth's voice was now deadly sharp and his body tensed dangerously.

"Yazoo told you," Loz drawled, grinning playfully like a predator to a prey. "We're your brothers. We've come to play."

"And if I refuse?" Sephiroth asked, cutting the air with the Masamune and gathering Trigger's reins with his other hand. These two clearly meant business, and everything about them told him they most likely had Jenova cells within them as well. The trademark signs. But what unsettled him the most was the urge he had to simply follow them. Like the call of the wild to a domesticated wolf. His soul yearned to join the family he'd longed to have, but his heart and mind refused to release Aeris and Zefiris for a single moment. He was his own master now, and Jenova had no room in his life.

Yazoo started up his motorcycle and lifted his gun in a greeting. "Our brother feared you would say that, so while we're here with you, he went ahed to that cozy town of yours to get a little reassurance of your cooperation."

Sephiroth started violently, realising that this so-called brother was in fact going after Aeris and their daughter. Anger and fear battled for control. "You're dead. All of you."

* * *

Sephiroth gazed back at the merchants. "Don't make a sound. It's me they want. Wait until we're out of sight, then head back to Bone Village. Keep a quick pace and your chocobos should be able to out run any monsters you meet. Now, go!" He didn't wait for them to answer, merely dug his heels into Trigger's sides harshly and set the golden chocobo off into an amazing sprint. 

Yazoo grinned, knowing he'd been disappointed if Sephiroth hadn't put up a fight. The legendary ShinRa General was after all a legend. It would be a shame not to test ones powers against a legend. The second youngest of the three brothers had yet to find someone to beat him in fair fight. As Kadaj was not someone you played with and survived, and Loz flat out refused to fight him, Yazoo was looking forward to this! He nodded towards Loz, and the two set their motorcycles to chase their older brother.

Sephiroth kept his eyes on the horizon, hearing the motorcycles roaring coming ever so closer by each second. He didn't care about them. He cared about Aeris and Zefiris. He had to reach them in time. Wouldn't accept anything else!

"Chocobo, brother dearest?" Yazoo taunted softly, raising his gun to aim casually at Sephiroth. "You need to keep up! Those things are way outdated."

Using the Masamune to deflect the bullets fired at him, Sephiroth sneered slightly. "Never was much of a slave to fashion." He made Trigger take a sudden turn to avoid Loz's fist crackling with some unnatural energy, the golden bird having no trouble keeping up with the machines. Sephiroth wasn't surprised. He knew what the bird could do, and she had been a gift from the Sage himself. Trigger had yet to fail him.

The thick snow made steering difficult enough, but underneath it was the trickery ice that forced the two pursuers to focus a bit more on their vehicles than they liked. It appeared that bullets were having no effect because of the Masamune, and Loz found it hard to come close enough to launch his own attacks. It slowly pushed the two angrier and more determined to dye the snow red with Sephiroth's blood.

Trigger ran. A sprint across a field to create a small head start, then sliding down a small hill, and then Sephiroth saw his first opening. He clenched his jaw hard and gave Trigger a harsh kick to make her increase her speed even more, not bothering to react at the protesting wark.

Loz grinned widely as he saw the small slope down to where Sephiroth was, wrung the accelerator handle on the motorcycle and jumped up into the air to land heavily in front of the startled chocobo. As the wheels lost their grip on the slippery ground, Loz climbed up to stand on the sliding motorcycle that was aiming to crash directly into the bird. He raised his arm, ready to leap, when he heard the sound.

Yazoo had barely enough time to force the motorcycle into a sudden turn, careening into safety, as the ice shattered. He struggled to regain control as Loz was running towards land with the ice cracking underneath his every step, while the motorcycle was already sinking fast towards the bottom of the frozen lake. He stared with barely controlled fury at Sephiroth easily ordering his chocobo to run over the water. Eyes narrowed as Yazoo wondered if he couldn't just disregard Kadaj's order about not killing Sephiroth, and unleash the Phantom Beasts. Creature made from nightmares, made form by the substances available. Maybe the great SOLDIER would find it difficult to face a few hundred Beasts. That would most likely wipe the smug grin off his face!

They needed him alive, Kadaj had said. And Yazoo resentfully had to watch Sephiroth vanish into the distance, before forcing himself into action and driving over to pick up Loz. At least he hadn't lost his bike as well...

Several glances over his shoulder later, Sephiroth frowned uneasily. They'd given up too easily. They hadn't even really tried. It was like some... test. The thought was even more unsettling. What did they want from him? What would be important enough for them to risk his anger by going after his family?

Family. They'd called him 'brother'! He did not have any siblings! He would have dismissed them as crazy people, if not for those eyes... He could see Jenova in those eyes. Feel her. Shuddering, Sephiroth merely focused on reaching Icicle again. Praying he wasn't too late. And the road never seemed to end. His fear growing by each second. By each step Trigger took. By each beat of his heart. And his destination never seemed to come closer at all...

The second he saw the smoke rising towards the sky, Sephiroth knew he was too late.

Buildings were burning. People were screaming. But destruction was going one way, towards Icicle Inn.

Leaping off Trigger, Sephiroth ran towards the building.

He saw the trail after motorcycles in the snow.

He heard Aeris screaming hysterically.

Sephiroth saw the blood on the floor and walls.

* * *

Rufus ShinRa hummed to himself, fastening the towel around his waist, and ruffled his hair a final time with his fingers before walking towards the door to the bedroom. He needed that shower.He'd had such a crappy day! Hours upon hours in boring meetings, his back still aching after that incident, and Tifa still angry as hell because he got himself involved in that incident... One would think Midgar's most powerful man would have less worries than the common man, but you simply had to reconsider that thought! 

Just yesterday, Robin had been throwing up like they were giving out awards for it, and now Rufus feared her brother was going to pick up where his sibling left off!

Yet, Rufus wouldn't have traded places with anyone!

He was getting the hang of this looking at the bright side thing! Especially as he knew he had a date with his lovely wife this evening!

Stepping into the bedroom, Rufus nearly walked straight into someone. He knew he was of course physically unable to shriek like a girl, but there was a dangerously high tone in the yell, and he had to fight some absurd instinct to cross his arms over his chest to cover himself.

Two seconds later, Rufus was glaring murder at Sephiroth. "What is your problem, man? You simply do NOT enter Rufus ShinRa's bedroom uninvited!" His anger died the second he saw the look on the silver haired man's face. "Hey... What's wrong?"

Sephiroth tried to force a smile, but failed. "I need your help."

"I think we all agree that you need help," Rufus muttered uneasily, but motioned for them to walk over to the sofa where Sephiroth could sit down. "What's happened? If it's within my power, you know I'll help."

A rush of feelings attacked Sephiroth once again as he sank down on the sofa, staring at the floor. "Zefiris..."

Starting at the name, Rufus became even more worried. "What about Zefiris? Sephiroth, tell me what happened, damn you!"

"They took her," Sephiroth whispered weakly, hesitating a second before he managed to meet the blue gaze resting on him. "These... men appeared out of nowhere. Two of them stalled me. The third... He went for the town. For Zefiris."

"Aeris?" Rufus asked silently, fearing the answer. Whoever would be foolish enough to challenge Sephiroth? And who would be crafty enough to get away with it?

Sephiroth closed his eyes, as if the question pained him. "She was working at the store. The man went straight for the inn. Like he knew Zefiris would be there. Killed Lily and several of the town people... Aeris was too late as well. She only came out when she heard the commotion, and then..." His voice failed and Sephiroth merely shook his head, remembering the man restraining the hysterical Aeris. How she'd screamed. Cried. The look of terror on her face.

Rufus reached out and placed a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder. "She here with you now?"

Sephiroth nodded. He'd left her with Tifa and the twins.

"These men... What did they want?" Rufus gently squeezed Sephiroth's shoulder to regain his attention, hoping to get the most information out of the man as possible before he collapsed. Because Sephiroth would collapse. It was only a matter of time.

Swallowing hard, Sephiroth pulled himself together one final time. "They wanted me to join them." Reptilian eyes focused on the young president. "These men, Rufus, they're like me! They look almost exactly like me! The hair. The eyes." Predicting the next question, Sephiroth didn't wait for it to be asked. "No, these aren't clones. They're... different. It's like... they're me! Really me, but... not. It's hard to explain, but... They're different. Dangerous."

"Alright, just... Stay here, and I'll get some clothes on. Then we'll decide what to do, ok?" Rufus' mind was already struggling to digest what he'd heard.

Sephiroth stared down at the floor again. "They just took my daughter and disappeared. 24 hours, and nothing. Not a word." He hid his face in his hands and tried to remember how to breathe. "I have to get her back, Rufus..."

"We will," Rufus promised quietly. "I promise you. We'll get her back, and they'll pay with their lives."

Nodding, Sephiroth rubbed his eyes wearily. Fear and exhaustion battling for rights to his sanity. He had to get her back, there was no other option.

Rufus left the silver haired man to his agonized thoughts, but was unable to fight uneasy thoughts of his own as he dressed. What if it had been one of the twins? Being the President ShinRa always brought risks, and his family was under heavy protection, but nothing in life was certain except death. Rufus shuddered, gazing at his own reflection. He remembered the last time he saw Zefiris... No, Rufus dismissed that thought. That had not been the last time he'd seen the little girl, as precious to him as his own daughter, and those fools were going to suffer! Suffer more than they ever thought was possible!

* * *

Tifa slowly lowered the PHS and clutched it close. She didn't know why she felt this sinking feeling inside her. It wasn't like she really expected anything else. This was how it always was. Yet... 

The brunette opened her eyes again, the wine coloured gaze heavily tainted with sadness.

He'd promised he'd come if she ever was in a pinch, and he had. But did he only mean to rescue her once? If Tifa needed his help again, did he ignore it as he'd kept his word when saving her all those years ago? Did he chose to turn his back, because he never made such a promise to Aeris?

Cloud, where are you?

All this time, and he'd never once replied when she'd tried reaching him through the PHS. Tifa knew he'd brought it with him when he vanished. Him and Jessie. She never got an explanation. Nor did Aeris. He just left. No trace. Not a word. All this time.

Glancing over at the door to the living room, Tifa unknowingly clutched the PHS a little tighter. Aeris had been in a numb state ever since she and Sephiroth had arrived. Since the loss of their daughter. The flower girl had barely acknowledged Tifa when she'd excused herself for a moment, hoping that against all odds that Cloud would reply this time. She shouldn't be surprised that he didn't. But disappointment and fear tasted bitter in her mouth.

Tifa gathered herself through sheer force of will and slipped her PHS into her pocket. They all had fancy cell phones now, but for the old AVALANCHE network it was still PHS all the way. It probably had more with memories than practicality that they kept on to the old contraptions. That, and it was their only link to Cloud.

Rufus and Sephiroth were both indifferent to Cloud's disappearance, to say the least, but Tifa knew that Aeris had no more peace in her heart than she herself had. The blonde warrior was the ghost of both their lives.

Pushing the door open, the brunette entered the room again and gazed over at the forlorn Aeris. "Sorry, I just had to..." Tifa made a helpless shrug, but realised that Aeris didn't appear to particularly care. She was staring out the window, down towards the streets of Midgar. "Aeris... It's going to be ok. We're going to get her back."

Aeris nodded absently, still with her arms tensely wrapped around herself.

"Aeris..." Tifa sighed, walking over to sink down into the sofa. "I wish I knew what to say... All I know is that I pity the fools that did this. Rufus will do whatever he can to help track them down, and we both know that Sephiroth will tear them to pieces."

Aeris gave another faint nod.

A silence followed, then Tifa sighed again. "It wasn't your fault, Aeris."

The flower girl flinched. How could she say that when Aeris let her daughter get kidnapped? "Yes, it was."

"No, it wasn't," Tifa snapped and wrung her hands tensely. "You stop that silly notion this instant! We'll get her back, you hear?"

Aeris glanced over, pale as a ghost. "And if we don't?"

Tifa held her gaze calmly. "We will." She tried a faint smile. "Trust me."

Turning back to stare out the window, Aeris swallowed hard. "I need my baby girl back, Tifa. I can't imagine life without her!"

"And I tell you, we'll get her back," Tifa stated once again, firmer now. "I promise."

Aeris suddenly tensed and stared intently at something, or someone, then gazed quickly over at Tifa. "But I can't just sit quietly by and do nothing!"

Tifa got up as the flower girl suddenly walked towards the door. "Where are you going?"

"Out." Aeris halted briefly in the door, not gazing back. "I just need a little time to myself. I wont be long."

Gazing helplessly at the door closing, Tifa shifted uneasily. What was she supposed to do? It didn't seem right that Aeris was to suffer through her agony alone, but she made it pretty clear that she didn't want company right now.

Tifa made her way over to the window, gazing down until she saw Aeris appear in the street. It made a little more sense when she saw her heading for the church. Of course. Maybe a sliver of the Cetra was still around, and hopefully provide with more comfort than she herself was able to at the moment.

"Cloud... Aeris needs your help..." Tifa whispered, gazing into the horizon. "Where are you?"

* * *

Aeris slowly pushed open the creaking door and let the sight of her old flower garden greet her. She knew there were people who tended to the garden, but in some small way it was relieving to see that it still was there. She'd lost enough now. 

Wandering into the old building, Aeris felt tears stinging in her eyes but she refused to acknowledge them. Instead, she crouched down in the center of the flower field and gazed at the debris still lying scattered around from Cloud falling into her life. So much had happened since then. She was a completely different person now, it seemed. Would she have made the same choices? Yes. Aeris' only regret was the way she had treated Cloud, but life had been good to her. Which was why she was far from accepting what happened. Slender fingers slowly wrapped around a piece of debris roughly the same size as the Princess Guard, and Aeris used all her might as she whipped around and slammed it into the person behind her.

He'd taken worse hits, but the impact and the surprise of it all made him stagger backwards. Lifting a gloved hand to his bleeding lip, Yazoo stared in puzzlement at the furious half-Cetra. She was still holding on to her 'weapon' and seemed ready to continue the fight.

Aeris had seen the flicker of a silver haired man outside of the ShinRa Tower, and she knew it had to be one of the men Sephiroth had told her about. One of the ones who took Zefiris. She had felt his presence as she let him follow her to the church. Aeris knew she'd made Sephiroth a promise that she wouldn't risk her life again after her fight against Jenova, but somehow that promise seemed so faded now.

"Nice hit," Yazoo finally drawled, shaking his head slightly to remove the ringing sound the impact had left. "Didn't even see that one coming. Nice hit, indeed."

"What do you want?" Aeris demanded in a whisper, her green eyes flaring with fury. "Where is my daughter?"

Yazoo tilted his head slightly, taking in the alluring sight of a young woman ready to fight to the death. "She's safe. With my brothers." He smiled slightly. "Don't worry. We would never hurt our little niece."

Aeris barely was able to restrain her anger. "Do not flatter yourself. She's not your niece. She's nothing to you, and you are just a child snatching cretin!"

Some of his good mood vanished at the harsh words and Yazoo frowned. "No need for name-calling, I assure you, half-Cetra. And your child is our brother's child too, correct? That would make her our niece." Eyes, so simular to the pair she loved gazing into, were now filled with lazy smugness. "She's family."

"Family?" Aeris nearly laughed, the statement so absurd that she couldn't believe her ears. "Did 'mother' tell you this?" She nodded as she saw the silver haired man tense. "Yes, I know of your 'mother'. In fact, I met her once. Didn't she tell you? I know for a fact that she's a lying heap of infection puss. I know she's not anyone's mother! She's just a voice in your head!"

Yazoo was now staring harshly at her, but appeared strangely amused. "I heard you were the softer part of the AeriSeph duo."

"Yeah, just imagine what Sephiroth will do to you once he catches you lot," Aeris sneered, now aching to hit again. "Give me my daughter back, damn you!"

"I'll admit to underestimating you," Yazoo drawled, once again measuring her with his eyes. "But I'm afraid I can't grant you your request. We need our little niece to make sure big brother will help us."

Aeris shook her head, torn between despair and anger. "You guys must be complete idiots. There is no way Sephiroth will have anything to do with you now, except from when he kills you most horribly! And I'll cheer him on when he does." She darted forward to take another swing at him, but the silver haired man moved impossibly fast. Aeris was unable to hold back the defeated whimper as a hand locked around her wrist painfully and wrung her arm behind her back, feeling his light laugh against her neck from where he was standing behind her.

"You got one free shot because I underestimated you, sweetheart," Yazoo murmured in her ear, while tightening his grip on her wrist until she had to let go of her 'weapon'.

"Please," Aeris whispered through tears. "Give her back to me. She's innocent, damn you! I'll take her place. Please..."

Yazoo frowned slightly, suddenly feeling a little less proud over what he'd helped do. "I give you my word that your daughter is safe, ok? I will personally make sure that no harm comes to her. Meanwhile, I suggest you talk a little sense into Sephiroth. He is the key. He decides for how long your daughter is kept from you."

She didn't hear or see him leave, but Aeris sank to her knees the second he released her and vanished. The flower girl hung her head low and sobbed quietly.

Yazoo halted outside the church, his keen hearing allowing him to pick up the discrete sound of the girl's agony. Frowning and shaking his head, he forced himself to walk away.

* * *

_AN; Aah, she's back! (gets peppered with rotten tomatoes and whatnots) Yeah, it took a long while, and I promised to have this up a week ago! Bad me! But at least, it's here! The sequel to the sequel! We're off to a darker start this time, but I promise even more fluff and even more angst than Where the Lost ones Go! And, yes, I do need those reviews to keep going! Questions, comments, just bring them on!_


	2. Sweet Child of mine

**2. Sweet child of mine...**

Sephiroth spun around as the door opened, and Aeris blinked surprised to find the small group staring at her. Rufus and Sephiroth had joined Tifa, only to hear that the flower girl had ventured out on her own. The silver haired man had been in a state of frantic distress ever since. "Aeris!"

Slowly closing the door behind her, Aeris eyed Sephiroth puzzled as he stalked over to her. "Yes...?"

"Where have you been? Don't just disappear like that!" Sephiroth took a gentle hold of her face, almost as if to see if she was truly unharmed and there.

Aeris placed a light hand on top of one of his, smiling faintly. "I went to the church."

Frowning, Rufus saw the traces of tears on the brunette's face and her pale complexion. "And what happened there?"

A brief pause, then Aeris closed her eyes. "I met one of them."

Tifa gasped horrified, while Sephiroth started violently. Rufus merely gave a little shake of his head, realising that the situation was possibly even worse than he thought.

"You met one in the church?" Sephiroth asked sharply, torn between anger and fear. "What did he want? What did he say?"

Aeris wrapped her arms around herself and bit her lower lip for a moment. "I don't know what he wanted. Talk, I guess. He said Zefiris was safe, but that they wouldn't return her until you agreed to work with them..." She glanced over at the man she loved so dearly. "I asked him to trade me for our baby."

Sephiroth took a step towards her, his hands clutching into tight fists. "You did what?" His voice was strained with barely withheld fury, as the thought of losing Aeris too terrified him beyond anything.

"He refused, don't worry," Aeris stated in a flat voice, unable to feel any guilt at all for her carelessness. "All he did was to give me a kidnappers word that my child would be safe."

For a moment, there was a heavy silence in the air, before the silver haired man traded his anger for worry again. "Aeris... He could have just kidnapped you too. Without returning Zefiris. Did you think of that?"

Aeris glanced over at him. "Then at least I would be with my daughter. I could make sure she would be safe until you freed us."

Sephiroth struggled to find an answer to that, but failed. He merely felt another wave of guilt crash upon him again, and the need to severely hurt the ones responsible. He'd failed them, hadn't he? He was supposed to protect his family, and he'd failed. Miserably. Two years of peace had left him careless and Zefiris had paid the price. "I will get her back."

"Of course you will," Rufus interrupted, feeling the guilt and grief absorbing all the air in the room. "But we need to focus on what do right now. Finding these wannabes is our first priority, and the world is not a small place."

Tifa shifted uneasily. "If one of them showed up here in Midgar, the other one is probably not too far away."

"Three," Sephiroth mumbled, then forced himself to focus as everyone gazed at him. "There are three. Two stalled me, while the third went after Zefiris."

Nodding, Rufus waved away the detail. "Two... Three... We still need to find the buggers. They have to be keeping Zefiris some place. I don't see anyone traipsing around with a two year old with them on a bike." He walked over to a table where he'd spread a world map, gazing thoughtfully down at it as the others joined. "I will contact the ShinRa facilities and hear if anyone has seen a Sephiroth lookalike. I'll have Reeve check his underground contacts too."

"I'll talk to Cid, Seto and Yuffie," Tifa offered silently, feeling like she should be doing something too.

Giving another absent nod without taking his eyes off the map, Rufus tapped a finger on Midgar. "Don't forget trying to reach Valentine on the PHS. The guy travels a lot. And Barret's shop gives him a lot of strangers visiting."

Aeris gathered herself after the horrible meeting in the church, knowing Rufus was right. It was time to focus now. "I'll talk to Vincent and Barret."

"I'll search Midgar for the one Aeris met," Sephiroth added wearily. "Someone must have seen him enter or leave the city. Might give us some clues."

A small hesitation, then Rufus straightened. "Right... Let's get to work then."

No one mentioned Cloud Strife, but every person in the room was thinking the name, then they slowly went in different directions to deal with their own tasks.

Something like this needed a hero, and none of them fit in that category, did they?

* * *

"He's late!" Yazoo snapped, pacing the room restlessly. "This is the second time he's late! Who does he think he is? Why is he the one who gives out orders, but doesn't have to follow any rules himself?" A low giggle caused him to toss an annoyed glance over at where Loz was still sitting on the floor and playing with the little girl Kadaj said was their niece. As usual, Loz spent all his time on his new pet, lifting the girl up in the air, causing her to squeal happily, and finally Yazoo snapped. "For Pete's sake, will you put that damn thing down!" 

Loz slowly lowered the girl and allowed her to cling nervously to his arm, absently petting her head. "She's not a thing, Yazoo. She's our little niece!"

Gritting his teeth in annoyance at his brother's innocent tone, trying to enlighten him and not being sarcastic at all, Yazoo sneered over at the short haired man. "Yes, thank you! I know very well what she is! Just stop that!"

The little girl was all eyes as she eyed Yazoo, clearly understanding that this was not someone she should anger. "Meanie!" Or not...

Yazoo blinked in disbelief, then stalked over to stand in front of Loz and hover above Zefiris. "What did you say...?"

"You're scaring her," Loz muttered, getting up and holding the silver haired girl on his arm. "We were just playing, Yazoo. No harm there."

Tilting his head with a slight smirk, Yazoo held Zefiris' gaze. "I just talked to your momma. She said she misses you very much." His annoyance was a little avenged as he saw the tears forming in her eyes. " Then it returned twofold as he noticed Loz lowering his head with a trembling lower lip. "Oh, now what!"

Loz sniffled silently. "I wanna see Mother too..."

"Not our Mother," Yazoo growled, seeing how the girl was petting Loz's should in an effort to comfort him. "The kid's mother! You know we can't meet Mother until big brother agrees to help us out!"

"Meanie," Zefiris piped up as she gazed over at Yazoo.

His patience had been worn dangerously thin, and Yazoo raised an eyebrow. "Girl, don't make me pull a gun on you."

Loz hugged his niece protectively and stared misty-eyed at his brother. "Don't say things like that, Yazoo! That's not very nice!"

The smaller man wondered for a moment if he'd done something unforgivably cruel in his previous life to be punished like this, then his reptilian eyes narrowed slightly. "Shut up, Loz! She's not yours to keep, remember? That kid is our brother's, not yours!"

A small hesitation. "She's family," Loz insisted, backing away a step as if he was afraid Yazoo would take her from him. "I'm sure big brother wont mind if I borrow her once in a while..."

Yazoo snorted with contempt. "Yeah, right! Remember the last time you had a pet?" He ignored his brother's flinch. "And the time before, and the time before that? Face it, Loz! You SUCK at keeping pets! You shouldn't be allowed to take care of a bug!"

A sniffle. A trembling breath of air. A second sniffle.

Rolling his eyes, Yazoo counted to ten before plastering on a fake smile. "Hey... Don't worry about it, ok? It's not like we have time for any pets so what's the big deal?"

Zefiris glared at him again.

Yazoo glared back.

Loz cleared his throat to regain his voice. "I just... Why can't our family just be together like other families?"

Anger left him and sympathy seeped into Yazoo, making him a little milder. "I don't know, brother." He managed a faint but real smile this time. "Don't cry, Loz. At least you got me and Kadaj, right?"

"And Junior here!" Loz declared happily, his tears already forgotten, and he hoisted the little girl high up in the air to make her squeal and giggle again. "Hey, Yazoo, who is Pete? And why do I have to do anything for his sake?"

Sighing, Yazoo walked over to the window and was about to shove his hands as tightly over his ears as hard as possible, when suddenly the door slammed open.

All three turned to stare, and found a silver haired figure standing in the doorway and grinning widely.

"I found him," Kadaj stated with a chuckle. "I found our little brother!"

* * *

Cid blinked surprised at the identity of the caller on his PHS. He hadn't heard from Tifa in weeks. Pressing the reply button, the pilot leaned against the wall of his airship hangar. "Highwind here." 

"Hi, Cid," Tifa's voice sounded strange. Like something was wrong. Seriously wrong.

Frowning, the pilot straightened. "Something wrong, Tifa?"

A brief pause. "We need your help. Zefiris has been kidnapped."

Cid started violently and a jolt of fear ran through him. "What? How did that happen? Who the hell would wanna pull such an insane stunt? And how did they escape Sephy?" The blonde felt an uncanny need for a cigarette, but choose to ignore it. "How's Aeris...?"

"We don't know who they are," Tifa's voice continued meekly and she tried to answer all his questions at once. "They claim to be related to Sephiroth, and look awfully a lot like him, but they're not clones. I think they want to resurrect Jenova... As for Aeris, you can imagine..."

"Yeah..." And Cid realised he could. To have your child at the mercy of some crazed stranger must be more horrible than words could describe! A parent always puts it's child before itself, right? Memories tapped on his shoulder, but Cid forced them away. He couldn't think about this now. He couldn't think about Shera and... "So, what do you guys need me to do?"

"We were wondering if you'd seen or heard anything about these guys. Three silver haired men would draw a bit of attention, wouldn't they?"

Cid frowned slightly, thinking back and going over reports he'd received from his shops around the world. "You'd think so, but I ain't heard anything. Aside from a few boats from Costa Del Sol and Barret's gold chocobos, my planes are the only way to cross the ocean. If they were up north and have crossed over here, I'll find out!"

The relieved smile on Tifa's face could almost be felt through the PHS. "Thank you."

Cid grinned weakly. "No worries, babe. Ya know I'll help out if I can. You should check over at Barret's place too though."

"Aeris said she was going to talk to Barret and Vincent," Tifa replied silently.

"Just so happens that old Valentine is at my place right now, so I'll give'im a holler and call up if he knows something, ok?" Cid glanced over at his house, seeing the faint light through the curtains. It was late, but the former Turk always sat up reading books until dawn.

"Thanks, Cid," Tifa said gratefully. "I'm going to try reaching Yuffie and Seto as well."

Snorting, Cid poked his boot at the ground. "Yeah, good luck on gittin'any sense outta that ninja girl, but old Fluffer should be able to help out. That cat got a good nose for tracking down people."

Tifa gave a silent laugh. "Ninja's aren't completely useless either, Cid. And you gotta start considering forgiving Yuffie for throwing up in your new airship."

"Ain't gonna happen anytime soon, lady," Cid replied with a grin, as they both knew he was too lazy to bear grudges anyway. "Ya'll be careful, ok?"

"You too, Cid. These people mean business. Don't confront them on your own, as they've most likely got Jenova cells in them like Sephiroth."

Cid nodded and drew a hand through his hair, feeling the unease radiating from Tifa's words. "Yeah, don't worry. Soon as I hear something, I'm gonna give ya a holler. Ain't no hero, girl. We all know who that is."

Another pause, this one a heartbeat longer than what was comfortable, then Tifa's voice came in a weak whisper. "Yeah, but no one knows where he is either, so it looks like we're on our on this time... Be careful, Cid. Say hi to Shera from me."

"Will do," Cid grumbled and pressed the button to disconnect him. Tifa had a point. Where was Cloud Strife? If these guys were as bad news as Tifa made them sound like, the planet should've called on her number one hero, right? Spike had just vanished after the fight against Jinrei, and been MIA ever since. It didn't feel right. Spike was a doofus alright, but... Cid could ask him things, and the guy wouldn't judge him for doubting or being weak.

Forcing himself to walk over to the house, Cid paused in the doorway to gaze at the lone figure by the window. Vincent Valentine really didn't change, did he? Like Cid, he was set in his ways, and the only difference was that the former Turk's body remained frozen in time as well. "Got a call from Tifa. Trouble's brewing again, friend."

Crimson eyes slowly moved up from focusing on a book to the pilot. His expression a mask of indifference as usual. "Indeed?"

"Someone stole Zefiris," Cid was slightly satisfied to see a flicker of worry in Vincent's eyes. "They need our help."

* * *

Sephiroth walked into the ShinRa tower with a stronger sense of defeat than he'd ever felt before. No one had seen anything at all. Just like back at Icicle Inn. The silver haired men seemed to appear out of nowhere and return there when their mission was completed. This was worse than trying to locate Jinrei. At least that crazed man had to hide an army. Where did you find three people hiding somewhere in the world? 

Numbness was slowly taking over him as the elevator brought him towards the top floor, where he knew Rufus was waiting for his report. Waiting to hear that the once so glorious general had failed to locate his own child. A head ache was starting to hum at the back of his head, and he leaned wearily against the wall. When was the last time he'd eaten or slept? Before Zefiris got torn away from him by creatures claiming to be his kin.

He wanted to be angry. He wanted to be angry so bad, but he knew the only person he could blame was himself. He'd failed his family, and that was that.

The elevator doors slid open, and Sephiroth froze. He blinked surprised.

"I'm telling you, I can track down a boar on a frozen lake with a bag over my head!" Yuffie yelled, stomping her feet where she was standing in the middle of the people gathered there.

Cid crossed his arms and tilted his head with a smirk. "Dunnow'bout yer tracking skills, brat, but a bag over yer head would be definite improvement!"

Barret's guffawing blocked out whatever obscene remarks Yuffie did about Cid's ancestry, while Tifa was trying to calm the ruckus in vain.

"Sephiroth," Vincent Valentine greeted silently from where he was standing beside the elevator doors, and everyone turned to gaze at the silver haired man who gave a somewhat confused nod in return.

"Thank the Planet," Rufus muttered in relief, knowing he'd go insane if he had to listen to AVALANCHE's bickering for five minutes longer. "You're late, Sephiroth!"

Sephiroth was still gazing surprised at each person in turn. Cid Highwind, giving a tiny nod. Barret puffing up his chest with a grunt. Yuffie clinging to Hawk's arm and grinning from ear to ear. Vincent a little distance from the others, as usual. Tifa sending him a slightly sheepish smile, Seto gazing calmly at him, and Aeris with a gentle look on her face. The former SOLDIER general frowned confused. "What... What are you all doing here?"

"What do ya think, ya buffoon?" Barret snapped with a gesture to question Sephiroth's intelligence.

Chewing merrily on his chewing gum, Cid placed a calming hand on Barret's shoulder. "We're here to help out, Seph. Figured you could need the extra hands." He glanced down at Seto. "Or paws..."

"Your sense of accuracy never ceases to bring out the chuckles in me," Seto deadpanned, then stepped forward. "There has been no sign of these strangers near Cosmo Canyon, and three men with silver hair on motorcycles isn't something my people would forget seeing."

Yuffie placed her hands on her hips with a serious expression for once. "Yeah, they haven't been in Wutai either."

"But if they managed to cross the ocean from the north continent to reach Midgar, they gotta have some kind of transportation," Cid mumbled, and absently fidgeted with his pack of cigarettes. "No plane of mine carried no silver haired men."

Sephiroth closed his eyes briefly to try and catch up when he felt a light hand on his arm. Gazing over, he found Aeris smiling carefully to him. Returning the smile, he allowed himself to feel a little hope.

"It appears that they hitched a ride with a cargo ship from Bone Village," Reeve's voice suddenly piped up from behind everyone. "I just got the report on three stowaways with motorcycles with them. Unfortunately, they also killed most of the crew."

Rufus glanced back at the dark haired man. "So we know how they got to Midgar, but the question is where they are now..."

"How about Jinrei's old tunnels?" Yuffie asked curiously, aching to remind everyone that she was the one who found them and solved the mystery that nearly cost them their victory two years ago.

Rufus shook his head. "We got them supervised. Cameras. Heat sensors. Pressure sensors."

"I think we need to consider a few questions besides their location, " Vincent said neutrally. "Like what will their next move be? Sephiroth has made it clear that he has no intention of obeying their demand. They will have to counter this somehow. And perhaps a question that will solve most our problems if answered; Who, or what, are they?"

* * *

When it was time for the twins' nap, the flower girl had offered to tend to the little children, and Tifa was far from objecting. It seemed like the children gave some ease to Aeris' tormented state of mind. Rufus, Barret and Seto had left shortly afterwards, going to Rufus' office to discuss strategy, and left a small group behind in the living room. 

"So Aeris told me to make sure you actually sit down before you fall down, and eat this!" Tifa gave a friendly smile as she firmly shoved Sephiroth down on a chair and placed a plate of food in front of him. "And she also added that she 'will' be back to check that you did what you're told!"

Sephiroth glanced up at the brunette and managed a faint grin. "Women... Always bossing me around..."

"That's because you can't take care of yourself, obviously," Tifa poked her tongue at him then pointed at the food. "Eat." She nodded with satisfaction as Sephiroth started examining it, before turning to almost walk directly into Cid.

Chuckling, the pilot raised his hands defensively. "Hey now, girl. Calm down. We're both married remember?"

Tifa laughed softly and pretended to be hurt at his refusal of her 'offer', "You speak grandly of this wife of yours, but I don't see her here?"

"Why is that?" Vincent asked, passing by the pilot on his way to leave the room. "Why don't you tell her, Cid?" The former Turk didn't back down due to the nervous look Cid sent him. "Tell her why you left Shera behind this time."

Cid remained frozen until the crimson cloaked man had left, and only then did he dare to meet Tifa's quizzical gaze. "It's... complicated."

In the background, Sephiroth leaned an elbow on the table and absently slurped up a noodle while deciding to enjoy the show of watching Cid Highwind squirm.

"Complicated?" Tifa frowned confused, then her eyes got a shine of worry. "Is something wrong? Did something happen to Shera?"

The blonde man cleared his throat and shifted uneasily. "Nah, ain't nothing... wrong. It's just..." He rubbed his neck awkwardly, before jumping into it. "Shera's pregnant."

Tifa automatically clapped her hands together and gasped delighted. "Cid! That's wonderful!"

Cid managed to force a smile that almost seemed painful. "Yeah... Isn't it?"

Happiness slowly fading, Tifa tilted her head and frowned slightly. "It's not? Cid, what's wrong?"

"Nothing wrong," Cid muttered, turning away and giving the amused Sephiroth a brief glare. "Everything is just hunky-dory, Tifa."

Yuffie suddenly landed on the table after a very impressive leap, and she pointed towards the pilot while staring flustered at Hawk. "Did you hear that?" She pointed some more for good measure. "Did you?" The young ninja barely waited for the affable nod from her partner. "And do you know what this means?" The insecure look on Hawk's face told her he didn't, but feared she was about to inform him. "Hawk! This means I'm the only one in this crew who hasn't spawned a kid!"

Hawk flushed deep red and cleared his throat awkwardly under everyone's amused stares. "Yuffie, I don't think..."

The Lady of Wutai jumped down from the table and marched over to the other ninja. "Hawk! You know I can't stand to lose!" She tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully before using it to poke him. "We're having eight!"

Starting violently, and turning an even deeper impossible red, Hawk merely gawped for a few seconds, then jumped up to follow Yuffie as she was leaving the room. "Y-Yuffie, I don't think you've really thought this over. I mean, there's really no need to rush into anything, right?" The memory of Yuffie's turtle having a near-death experience made him somewhat uneasy at the thought of her acting on a whim considering how serious the outcome could be. "A-and this would mean we have to postpone, if not cancel, those materia scouting trips, you know!"

Sephiroth chuckled silently as the door closed behind them. "Poor Hawk..."

Cid was about to agree when he noticed Tifa was still staring at him. "What?"

"You tell me," Tifa stated and crossed her arms. "What did Vincent mean? You didn't leave Shera behind because you were worried about her health. Why, Cid?"

The pilot cut a face. "I just... Ain't nothing wrong, Tifa. She was tired, and there was really no reason for her to come along, was there?"

His words sounded so false, Tifa doubted he believed them himself for a moment. She could easily read from his tense muscles that something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Coward," Sephiroth 'coughed' and blinked innocently as the both glared at him.

Tifa took a step towards the blonde man. "Cid... " Then his cell phone rang.

* * *

"I'm telling ya, Rufus is gonna kill me for this!" Cid muttered grumpily, adjusting his plane's altitude slightly. 

Tifa still clutched nervously at the edge of her seat. "Just keep flying the plane, Cid. Let me worry about Rufus."

It had all happened so fast. Within twenty seconds, Cid had received a call from one of the men working at one of his air fields outside of Midgar, received a message that two silver haired men had stolen a plane, and Sephiroth had demanded they'd go after them. The only thing was, Cid had used a small plane from Rocket Town to Midgar. It had room for one passenger, two at the most, beside the pilot. And it would take hours to get the Highwind airship that could actually carry everyone.

Cid had merely followed orders when Tifa told him to get his crew to fly the Highwind to Midgar, and bring her and Sephiroth along to follow the stolen plane. He'd been stupid to tell them he'd installed tracking devices on all his aircrafts, as the silver haired swordsman had threatened to kill Cid himself if he didn't take him to the culprits. Tifa had just, well, she'd decided to come along as well. The pilot had started to question the wisdom of bringing a woman, but the look he'd received from said woman had silenced him faster than anything had ever done throughout his life. Cid knew Tifa was very capable of defending herself, but the thought of what would happen if something went wrong and the twins losing their mother weighed heavily on him.

"Looks like they're heading towards the Mideel islands," Sephiroth mumbled thoughtfully. "There's nothing there except beaches and palm trees..."

Cid cast a quick glance at his radar, seeing that the stolen plane was actually steering towards a small island west of main Mideel island. "Gotta be something there worth their time and effort to steal one of my babies..."

Sephiroth tensed slightly as his keen sight discovered something. "They're landing..."

"I know," Cid mumbled, turning his plane to turn left. "Gonna see if we can sneak up on'em. Think I should be able to land on the other side of those trees..."

"You think?" Tifa squeaked nervously. She closed her eyes at the rotten grin the pilot sent her, and forced herself calm. She was used to flying, but this had to be one of the smallest and shakiest planes she'd ever been on. (And she had a vague notion that it had once been a lawn mower until Cid got his hands on it...)

The landing was surprisingly smooth and really proved that Cid was the excellent pilot he was always claiming to be, but Sephiroth didn't even wait for it to come to a complete halt before jumping out and started running towards the tiny village the silver haired men had clearly pointed out as their target.

"Sephiroth, wait!" Tifa exclaimed, before she too jumped out and followed him. She barely heard Cid yelling something, but was too focused on keeping up with Sephiroth to interpret the pilot's anger. So focused that she nearly ran into him when he'd halted by the edge of the town. Firm hands supported her from falling flat on her behind, but Tifa saw how he didn't take his eyes of the drowsy town for one second. Opening her mouth to ask him if he'd seen them, Tifa never got the chance as he abruptly released her and stalked into the small village.

It was quiet. Almost too quiet.

Tifa nervously exited the safety of the forrest and entered the town as well. She saw the people sending them curious looks, but everyone seemed too shy to want to actually talk to them.

Suddenly there was a scream. Tifa gazed hastily over at the small house it had come from, and the door slammed open. A woman fell to her knees and placed a small child in front of her.

"Run, Raito!" The woman was dark haired with blue eyes, and her face were filled with raw fear. "Run!"

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. Tifa could only stare. She saw the sun caress the child's golden hair. Saw the little boy's radiant blue eyes. Mako eyes. Saw the painful clear similarity to someone she'd lost. Then the moment passed, and the sun bounced of blood as a sword tore through the woman and silenced her voice.

Tifa ran. She didn't think. Merely ran. And all she could see was the little boy, all she could hear was his crying, and all she wanted to do was to rescue him. Her heart was thundering so hard in her chest when her arms locked around the child and she hugged him close in a protective motion as she saw the silver haired man pull his sword out of the fallen woman. Aeris had been right when she said the stranger looked like Sephiroth, and Tifa felt the old fear she'd felt three years ago return as she stared into the reptilian eyes. Her grip tightened unknowingly around the boy as she saw him grin and the sword was lifted again.

Sparks flew as the sword collided with another, and the deadly attack was prevented by the mighty Masamune in Sephiroth's hand.

* * *

Sephiroth glared angrily at the young man looking so much like himself. This had to be the third one. He truly had the face of Sephiroth. An eight year old Sephiroth. "Killing women and children? Admirable, I must say..." 

The young man gave a slow grin, clearly filled with confidence. "Big brother... Finally we meet..." He yanked his sword free and cut the air with it, ignoring Tifa flinching at the movement. "And you should know that the end remedies the means, right? After all, you are a war hero, are you not?"

Sneering furiously, Sephiroth stepped forward to place himself between the haughty stranger and Tifa. "Give me back Zefiris."

"My name is Kadaj," Kadaj declared, giving a slight nod in greeting. "Mother said we'd have a lot in common."

Sephiroth kept his eyes on the young man as Tifa carefully got up and backed away with the child in her arms. "Jenova is dead. Now give me back my daughter before I kill you."

Kadaj clicked his tongue and tilted his head. "You mean, give back your daughter, or else you'll kill me?"

"No," Sephiroth deadpanned. "You're dead already. You just decide how much pain you're gonna suffer." He saw the sulky look on Kadaj's face and barely had time to raise the Masamune to fend off the attack that the young man launched out of nowhere. The two swords collided once more and Sephiroth was almost a little relieved to solve things by force rather than talking. He'd been aching to hurt the one responsible for taking Zefiris, and here he was!

Tifa was slowly backing away, holding the sobbing child tightly against her, as she stared at the violent fight that broke out. As much as she wanted to help Sephiroth, there was little she could do now. It would only make things worse if she got involved, not considering that she had a helpless child in her arms, and Sephiroth probably didn't need her help anyway.

"Leaving already?" A drawl behind her.

Spinning around, Tifa stared nervously at the silver haired man grinning at her. This one had short hair and was almost as broad as Barret over his shoulders. She couldn't see any weapons on him, except some contraption on one of his hands. He was a martial artist? Still, Tifa knew she didn't have a chance as long as she had to protect the boy in her arms. The one who was clinging helplessly to her and sobbing terrified. She was not going to let anything happen to him! She would die before letting this creep harm a blonde hair on the child's head! Fear and stubbornness shone in the wine coloured eyes.

Loz chuckled amused, cracking his knuckles. "Just hand the boy over." He didn't seem worried about the sounds coming from the sword fight raging a small distance from them. "I'm his uncle, you see."

"Forget it," Tifa growled, taking another step backwards but only brought herself closer to Sephiroth and Kadaj. She knew she was trapped, but tried to buy herself time to find some way out of it!

Shaking his head, Loz grinned wider. "You really shouldn't interfere in family matters."

"And you really should consider having yer head examined," Cid interrupted, standing behind Loz and raised the Venus Gospel slightly. "And stop picking on kids, you bully!"

The tall man turned to face the new threat and frowned. "You..."

A crash was heard, as the force of the Masamune colliding with Kadaj's sword sent the young man flying into a building. Sephiroth didn't hesitate, but stalked over to continue his rampage. He was a little impressed when the young man struggled to his feet again, but was about to make sure he wouldn't get up the next time when Kadaj suddenly reached out his hand towards Sephiroth and called out; "Mother!"

Instantly, both Sephiroth and Cid tensed with a gasp of pain.

Tifa gazed confused from one to the other, seeing them both stagger unsteadily and pressing a hand to their chest. What was going on? What was happening? A shadow fell over her, and she glanced over to see Loz towering over her.

"Give me the boy," Loz insisted smugly, electricity crackling around his hand as he punched it against the palm of his other.

Tifa's eyes narrowed stubbornly. "Never."

* * *

_AN; Yeah, late update, yet I blame the real world that just wont leave me alone! Huge thanks to the ones who took their time to read and comment! A few things about this story, I will try but cannot promise it will be a weekly update like WTLOG, and as we will see more of the Turks I should mention that in my storyline, Tseng died and remains dead, despite AC. Ok... that covers it all, me thinks? Be sure to let me know what you think ofthe story so far!_


	3. Hard to say goodbye

**3. Hard to say goodbye**

It was like an invisible hand reached into his chest and grasped a hold of his soul. Pain shot through him and numbed his limbs. It was hard to breathe. Yet, Sephiroth found the whispering in his head even more horrible than the physical pain. Flashes of his past kept appearing in front of his eyes, and he was struggling to focus on the young man in front of him. The one who was watching him with a slight smile. Clenching his teeth hard, Sephiroth tried to straighten and staggered slightly with one hand firmly to his chest and the other raised his beloved sword.

"Brothers fight sometimes," Kadaj teased with a smirk, spinning his sword. "But Mother wants us to work together this time. Can't you feel it, big brother?"

Another jolt of pain. Sephiroth staggered again, fighting to breathe. "I'm... going to kill you..."

Kadaj clicked his tongue and stuck his chin out. "Seems like I have to beat some sense into you. You'll thank me later, big brother!"

Once again it was instinct that made Sephiroth raise the Masamune was block the attack, but this time it was Kadaj driving him backwards. He couldn't attack, barely defend himself. Swords collided several times, each impact forcing him further and further back. He barely felt the pain as he was sent crashing through the door of the house and rolled across the floor. The Masamune slid across the ground as it came loose from Sephiroth's grip, and he exhaled sharply when a chair was shattered before he abruptly was halted by the wall.

Footsteps. Kadaj was daintily entering the house as well. His boots sounded impossibly loud against the floor.

Sephiroth groaned softly, trying to force the sounds inside his head quiet and will himself up on his feet again. But the pain wouldn't stop. Like jolts of electricity running through him. Flashes of images that he couldn't entirely understand what was. And that voice...

Kadaj halted in front of the once so mighty general, squirming in agony on the floor and surrounded by debris. "We need you, big brother. We need all our brothers. The Reunion wont be complete without everyone there, you know." Lifestream coloured eyes narrowed slightly in contempt. "How can you turn your back on Mother?"

Quite easily, Sephiroth thought snarkily and managed to glare up at the other man. Like this, he would get himself killed and Aeris wouldn't just have lost her daughter. Dying was not an option. Neither was joining this copycat trio! However much his brain refused, his body was still trembling under Jenova's attack. And he'd lost his weapon. "She's... using you. She uses... everyone."

Frowning, Kadaj slowly placed his boot on Sephiroth's wrist and pressed down on it. "Don't talk about Mother that way."

Sephiroth slowly opened his hand, not breaking eye contact for one second. "Whatever she is promising you... Jenova is lying." He saw the other man flinch and anger flaring up in his eyes. "That voice? It isn't real. She's using you!" At that moment, when Kadaj frowned in fury and uncertainty, his defence dropped enough for Sephiroth to make his move. The tiniest movement and an unspoken request, and the Masamune came flying towards him.

Kadaj spun around in a blur, using his own sword to block and send the Masamune careening away, but was unable to prevent Sephiroth from leaping up on his feet again. Anger raged through him, and he lashed out at his older brother with every intention of killing him despite what Mother said.

A quick dodge allowed Sephiroth to avoid the first attack, but another spasm nearly sent him to his feet again, and he was forced to grab a hold of the first thing he could to block the second attack.

Sparks flew as metal collided with metal.

Trying to catch his breath, Sephiroth glared into Kadaj's eyes as the two stood facing each other and swords locked together. It took a second for him to notice the red bandana tied around the hilt of the huge sword he was holding. It took about another half second for Sephiroth to notice the sword. The Ultima Sword. He blinked with surprise and that was all Kadaj needed.

A sidestep, and Kadaj lashed out while aiming for Sephiroth's side. He was surprised to see his big brother maneuvering the massive sword that easily to block the attack and felt the tremors running up his arms from the impact. This sword was almost as powerful as the Masamune! The younger man sneered angrily, knowing that fate had once again worked against him and given his opponent another chance at a fair fight. Kadaj hated fair fights!

Sephiroth adjusted his grip ever so slightly, the heavy weight horribly unfamiliar when compared to the slender Masamune. Still, it felt good. The spirit of the sword seemed intent on co-operating and determined to defeat it's opponent. It felt, for a eerie moment, that the shadow of Strife himself was beside him.

* * *

There was a sickening sound as Loz lifted one hand against the palm of the other and cracked his knuckles. "I wanna play..." 

Tifa bit her lower lip, gazing from the silver haired man to Cid still leaning heavily on the Venus Gospel while trying to gather himself. "Cid...?"

"I'm..." Cid gritted his teeth to prevent a pained sound from escaping, but had to wait a heartbeat before he could continue. "I'm ok... Gonna kick his ass... any minute now..." Was this what a heart attack felt like? A heart attack with film flashes from a life you never lived, and a voice in your head telling you it's alright? Hardly!

Clutching the child close and placing a hand protectively on his head, Tifa slowly side-stepped Loz while never taking her eyes of him. "Cid... What's wrong? What is happening?"

Cid fought to breathe, shaking his head. "N-Nothing, Tifa... I can handle it..."

Liar.

Tifa actually heard the leather creak as Loz drew a deep breath to sigh, his jacket struggling to stay snug over his muscles. "Cid, I need you to hold the boy, ok?" She swallowed down her own nervous feeling.

"What?" Cid trembled as it felt like his chest was imploding. "No, Tifa, you just stand back, and I'll..."

"You'll what?" Tifa interrupted sharply. "Wheeze on him? I'm going to hand the boy over to you, Cid, and then I'll play with our new friend here." She carefully glanced over at Loz, who merely shrugged. He obviously didn't care who he played with, as long as he got to snap some spines.

Cid objected weakly as Tifa pried the little boy loose from herself and handed him over to the reluctant pilot. "Protect him with your life, Cid. You got that?"

"Yeah, yeah," Cid grumbled weakly, trying to hold himself standing instead of sinking to the ground with the newly added weight to his already trembling frame.

Tifa stroke a light hand over the child's blonde hair. "You owe his father that much, Highwind." With that, she turned and walked back to face Loz. She even pretended not to hear Cid's baffled curse as he recognized the little boy's blue eyes.

Loz leaned back slightly and measured her suspiciously. "You got kids?"

Flinching, Tifa forced herself to remain calm. "Yes." She slowly raised her fists. "And I'll kill you before I'll let you near them or this little child."

Chuckling amused, Loz got into a fighting position as well. "Let's see about that..."

Tifa's eyes narrowed.

He let her make the first move. Waiting until she rushed against him. Her strength surprised him, and Loz felt his arms tremble as he blocked her punch. Her strength surprised him enough to let her add a few more punches for him to block, before he reached out and grabbed a hold of her arm to toss her away. The elegant mid-air turn made Loz smile and he felt strangely satisfied to see her landing on her feet. Yes, this could be fun!

He was strong. Horribly and unnaturally strong! Tifa sprinted towards her opponent and slid under his attack, trying to sweep his legs underneath him as well. A punch aimed at her hit the ground instead, and she actually felt the tremble from where she got up on her feet. And that thing on his hand... It had barely grazed her and she still felt her muscles twitch from the electricity. Running towards him again, Tifa clenched her fists hard and put all her strength into a fierce kick to his face.

Loz staggered backwards at the kick, a sense of pain actually ringing through his senses, but it didn't drown out the thrill. She was strong, true, but her greatest strength was in her speed. The brunette was dangerously fast. He actually had trouble keeping up at times, and got more than his share of kicks and punches. Face, face, gut, elbow to gut and a kick to the face again. Face, gut, toss into air, and face before gut once more. He was almost sorry when he rammed his fist into her stomach and heard her agonized sound before letting a charge of electricity rush into her. That was the attack that always finished the fight. Loz sighed disappointed when he tossed her away, letting her fall limply to the ground. He'd wanted to play some more, but Kadaj had made it clear they were there for a reason! Turning to gaze at the pilot, now down on one knee and yet still holding the little child, Loz gesticulated faintly. "Just hand the boy over..."

"We're not... done yet..." Tifa's voice choked out, and she saw the surprise in his reptilian eyes as he spun around to find her standing. Her entire body was hurting, her muscles in spasms after the shock, but her will was even stronger. Strong enough to allow her a moment of glory when she managed to dash over, grab a hold of Loz's throat and slam him to the ground with enough force to leave a mark.

Loz felt the air being knocked out of his lungs, and he failed to hold back the pained sound. He rolled away from her intended stomp, and got up quickly. His enhanced speed allowed him to rush over and grasp a hold of her throat tight enough to block her airway. She was willing to die for a child?

* * *

Metal sliced through flesh and blood soared through the air before slamming against a window. Crimson drops ran down the clear surface like tears. 

Seconds later, the window shattered as a form smashed through it in a shower of shards glimmering like diamonds. A quick roll on the ground, and Sephiroth was back up on his feet to meet Kadaj as he followed him through the window. The Ultima sword blocked the younger man's sword, and the two swordsmen were locked together for a moment to glare murderously at each other. Heavy breathing and the dripping sound of blood hitting the ground.

A blink of an eye and they were just as suddenly attacking and defending in movements too fast for the regular eye to be able to keep up with. Sparks when the swords met and trails of blood following their in their tracks.

Sephiroth breathed hard as the swords were locked against each other again, not taking his glare off Kadaj but noticing Tifa struggling to free herself from Loz's grip on her throat. Things were out of hand. Though he'd managed to spill Kadaj's blood, the older of the two had also suffered a couple of injuries. A cut to his side were bleeding enough to cause concern. It had to end soon, or it would end for real!

Almost seeing the thoughts churning behind his older brother's eyes, Kadaj sneered annoyed. Mother had told him that it wouldn't be a problem to defeat Sephiroth. She would help him. But big brother was fighting fiercly, and was showing no sign of giving in.

Another heart beat passed, and Sephiroth was forced to make a decision. It was a dangerous, perhaps lethal, but it was the only possibility he could calculate that resulted in an acceptable result.

Sephiroth put all his weight behind the sword and shoved Kadaj to take a step backwards, then flung the Ultima sword towards Loz and twisted his upper body so that Kadaj's sword cut deep into his upper arm instead of vital organs in his chest. He didn't even pause as he forced his injured arm to reach up and grab a hold around the sharp blade, while reaching out to call for the Masmune. Sephiroth could only register the pain raging through him, failing to see the horrid surprise on Kadaj's face or how Loz was forced to release Tifa and dodge into safety.

Kadaj saw the blood, heard his sword meet bone as it dug into Sephiroth's arm, but he failed to prevent the other man from taking a hold of the blade and summoning his own unnatural sword. The infamous Masamune was in Sephiroth's free hand within seconds, only to be resting against his throat just as fast. He'd lost...?

Breathing strained, Sephiroth cast a quick glance over at the startled Loz staring at them. "Back off, or I kill him!"

"Don't listen!" Kadaj snapped. "Don't you do ANYTHING he says, Loz!"

"Quiet!" Sephiroth increased the pressure on the Masamune, causing a fine line of blood to appear on Kadaj's throat. "You tell him to bring my daughter back to me, or I swear I'll..."

Kadaj laughed strained, trying in vain to tug his own sword free from where Sephiroth's hand was locked around the blade. He was only rewarded with more blood dripping from his older brother's hand. "I'm dead anyway! You're going to kill me whether you get your brat back or not, big brother. I know you."

"Then you should have known better than to have taken her in the first place," Sephiroth sneered in a furious whisper. "Now tell him to bring Zefiris, or I will prove to you that death is far from the worst thing that could happen to someone!"

Kadaj's eyes narrowed but he remained stubbornly silent.

Sephiroth released his grip on Kadaj's blade abruptly and threw out a violent punch to the pretty face. The shock combined with the harsh impact made the younger man stagger backwards, and as the Masamune was released, the second punch hit him even harder. Kadaj was still struggling to make himself react when he fell to the ground, and tried hitting back as his attacker followed. Kadaj's skills in a sword fight nearly rivaled Sephiroth's and his speed nearly matched Loz's, but in a pure fist fight he had some way to go before being able to defeat a furious Sephiroth. The older of the alleged brothers was simply physically stronger after all the years of training in SOLDIER and a hard life. Sephiroth was also angrier and determined to retrieve his daughter even if it killed him. He had nothing to lose!

He'd lost count of how many punches he'd rained over the familiar face, but eventually Sephiroth slowly straightened to glare over at the numb Loz staring at them. Kadaj trembled weakly, but was drifting in and out of consciousness and unable to warn his other brother. "You," Sephiroth slowly got up and tore the young man along with blood soaked hands. "You bring Zefiris back to me, or I'll snap his neck right here!"

Loz stared nervously at Kadaj's limp form, over at Tifa gazing warily at him, finally at Cid sitting with the child in his arms with every look of fighting him if he tried anything. Then he turned and abruptly ran into the forrest at an unnatural speed. He didn't know what to do! Yazoo would know!

* * *

Tifa slowly sank to her knees in the soft grass and her eyes filled with tears as she slowly reached out to touch the cold stone. She couldn't believe it... It wasn't possible... It was just some horrible nightmare... It just wasn't possible... 

"They came here about... eighteen months ago..." The dark haired woman said softly, gently hoisting the blonde child in her arms. After the fight was over, the people living in the little town had finally dared emerging from their houses and the dark haired woman had agreed to bring Tifa to the child's parents. To their graves, at least. One stone, two names. Cloud and Jessie Strife. "They'd been traveling for some time, and finally wanted a place to settle down. I think they liked our peaceful town."

Biting her lower lip, Tifa let her fingertips trail over the engraved letters as silent tears were finally sliding down her face. "Were they... happy?"

The woman smiled faintly. "Very." She gesticulated faintly back at the house Sephiroth had fought in. "Cloud helped build that house and they lived there after they got married." A warmer smile to the child in her arms. "And just under half a year later, this guy came along. Didn't you?"

Tifa swallowed down her agony, forcing herself not to collapse into a hysterically sobbing heap. "What... happened to them...?" She didn't even know why she suddenly remembered a memory of Jessie laughing. The two of them giggling over drinks in the 7'th Heaven.

A brief silence. A hand brushing over stubborn locks of golden hair. "Cloud got sick. He just... started withering away. Got weaker each day until... After that, Jessie began acting strange. She made Sarah promise to take care of Raito. We all knew she had some kind of sickness too, as she had these attacks almost every two weeks, but...No one knew how bad it was until they found her by his grave a week after she'd lost him..."

A weak breeze brushed through the green grass and a leaf came dancing over the graves. Tifa trembled. She remembered Cloud saving her in Nibelheim. She remembered their promise at the well...

Sephiroth said nothing as he stood behind the agonized Tifa, gazing neutrally at the grave stone. His wounds were somewhat healed thanks to an old woman with a Restore materia, but his mind was still struggling to digest everything that had happened. He was grateful for Cid's silence when the pilot stepped up beside him too. The blonde had been checking up on Kadaj, despite there was no real chance for the young man to be able to break free from the ropes.

"Tifa!" A voice suddenly shouted, and she numbly got up to see Rufus stalking towards her, followed by the rest of the gang. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Raw pain made Tifa draw a shivering breath and walk towards him. "Rufus..." However, she got no chance to explain herself before he grabbed a hold of her upper arms and glared furiously at her.

Rufus didn't really know whether he wanted to hug her or shake her half to death. Both probably! When he'd gotten the message that she'd joined Sephiroth and Cid in pursuit of the silver haired men, Rufus had felt the blood drain from his face in pure fear. "Are you trying to get yourself killed, woman? What about the twins? Don't you even have the slightest bit of sense left in that head of yours?"

Tifa made a weak whimper, too deep in sorrow to get angry. "I can take care of myself, Rufus..."

"I see that!" Rufus snapped angrily, taking hold of her chin to tilt her head slightly backwards and exposing the bruises Loz had left on her neck.

Aeris stepped past the arguing couple and walked over to gently take Sephiroth's face between her nimble hands and meet his eyes solemnly. "You ok?"

Closing his eyes briefly, Sephiroth nodded.

She gave him a light kiss, then Aeris saw the graves. Her heart skipped a beat. Her blood went ice cold. Slowly walking towards the headstone, she paused in front of it as if she was hoping it would vanish. Finally sinking to her knees, the flower girl didn't even notice how everyone was silent now. "Oh, Cloud..."

Tifa walked over to the dark haired woman holding the child. "I want Raito to come with us." She absently wiped away another tear that escaped. They just kept coming! "It's not safe here, and..."

Nodding, the dark haired woman reluctantly handed the boy over and told herself she was doing the right thing. Sarah was dead. Cloud and Jessie was dead. But her heart told her to trust these people. Raito would be safe with them. With Tifa. "A child shouldn't experience such losses at his age..."

Tifa sniffled silently, hugging the blonde boy close, and allowed Rufus to place an apologetic arm around her. "He's safe now... I wont ever leave him..."

And they slowly walked back towards the Highwind that was now waiting just outside of the town, only Sephiroth hesitating one second before leaving Aeris to sit kneeling in front of the graves.

* * *

He'd found an old poster of Sephiroth, from the time when ShinRa had been promoting their favorite general to the public. (Especially the young and female part of it, probably) 

Yazoo held his gun on a straight arm and slowly closed one eye, aiming carefully at the poster he'd placed on a tree a small distance away.

He fired twice.

Poster-Sephiroth's eyes were now reduced to smoking holes.

Smirking, Yazoo lowered his gun for a moment to admire his handy work, then raised it again.

"Yazoo!" Loz's voice suddenly cut into the silence and broke the concentration.

Yazoo tensed slightly with annoyance, but forced himself to lower the gun and turn to face his brother that came running towards him. "What? You out of handkerchiefs again?"

Shaking his head, Loz didn't even react to the snarky words. "Yazoo, they got Kadaj! What are we gonna do? They got Kadaj!"

"What?" Yazoo holstered his gun and crossed his arms. "You're not making sense, Loz. Who's got Kadaj? What happened?" He frowned at the pale look on Loz's face and the fear in his reptilian eyes. Something big had to have happened to startle him this much.

Loz tried to catch his breath after his long run from the plane. "When we got there... Big brother showed up... Kadaj fought with him... Two others were with him as well, and they took baby brother..." He took another step towards Yazoo, wringing his hands anxiously. "Big brother says he's gonna kill Kadaj if we don't return Zefiris!"

Silence. Yazoo didn't reply. He merely turned his face away and gazed at the horizon for a little while. Kadaj had never lost a single fight before. Sephiroth was obviously even stronger than they'd feared, and now the idiot was in their power. This was a severe bump in their planned road. If they gave up the kid in exchange for Kadaj, they would never get their hands on her again, and there was a strong possibility that Sephiroth killed Kadaj anyway. Yazoo knew he would, if he'd been in big brother's place. Still, without Kadaj, it meant that the responsibility of the Reunion would fall on Yazoo, and that would be a real drag!

"Yazoo?" Loz nagged, shifting uneasily. "What are we gonna do, Yazoo?"

A slight frown on Yazoo's face. "Shut up, I'm thinking." He absently drew a thumb over the gun holster. The Reunion had to happen. Simple as that. Though Kadaj was the one preaching about it at all ungodly hours, Yazoo and Loz both had the itch in their blood. Mother didn't speak to them like she did to Kadaj, but they could feel her. She would want her favorite back, wouldn't she? But was Kadaj worth trading away Zefiris?

_"Please," Aeris whispered through tears. "Give her back to me. She's innocent, damn you! I'll take her place. Please..."_

Yazoo shook the memory away and focused on the nervous Loz at last. "Pack up the kid. We're heading for Midgar." The half-blood might be the key to regaining Kadaj. He needed to talk to her.

Loz nodded eagerly, but halted as he was turning around and gazed puzzled at Yazoo. "But... you left her inside? Alone?"

"She's fine!" Yazoo snarled annoyed, hunching his shoulders defensively.

Loz swallowed nervously. "But... if she's alone, then..." He blinked as he realised. "You didn't...! Kadaj said you weren't to put another Sleep spell on her!"

Yazoo snorted. "Yeah, well, Kadaj can just kiss my a..." He cut himself off and merely waved Loz away with an irritated motion. "Just go get her, you numbskull!"

Poking his tongue at his younger brother, Loz then quickly darted inside the tiny house before Yazoo could pull his gun.

The beginning of a headache was stepping at the edge of Yazoo's mind, and he sighed wearily. The brat had been crying for hours after Loz had left, so it was her own fault really. It wasn't his fault! And the spell was harmless! Kadaj would just have to deny him dessert for the rest of the week, if they got him back. Yazoo wandered over to pull the cover off their motorcycles. His gaze lingered for a moment on Kadaj's bike. As much as he feared him, despised him, and cared for him, Kadaj was a part of the only family he had. Yazoo was not ready to give up that. His family might be far from perfect, but it was the only one he had.

"Ok, we're ready!" Loz chirped as he came walking with the drowsing Zefiris in his arms.

"Oh, joy," Yazoo muttered, straddling his motorcycle and getting ready to start it. "When we get to Midgar, I want you two to hide while I check it out. There's something I gotta do before we get Kadaj back..." The machine roared to life and he wrung the accelerator handle a few times. There was only a minor detail of how he was going to get to the flower girl without anyone else around...

* * *

They'd returned to the Highwind and everyone went to their separate corners. Tifa was still clinging to Raito, and Rufus had finally caught up on everything that had happened. The young ShinRa had dropped his anger-speech and merely held his mourning wife close. Barret exchanged a few words with Tifa, but had retreated to his own cabin after that. Yuffie and Hawk were guarding their prisoner. Seto and Vincent was still back in Midgar. Sephiroth was gazing out one of the huge windows, still blood stained and with an absent look in his eyes. Cid felt the pain radiating from the silver haired man, but knew better than trying to talk to him right now. 

An entire hour passed before Aeris returned. Her face the colour of ash, and eyes red from countless tears. She didn't speak. Merely walked over and took Sephiroth's hand.

So they had returned to Midgar.

Cid watched them all go their way, and he slowly made his way up to his own room in the ShinRa tower.

He felt like crap. Whatever had happened in that town, it had drained him beyond belief. The pilot still shuddered at the memory of the voice in his head and the raw pain shooting through his body. Cid knew what it was, yet refused to acknowledge it. If he admitted, even to himself, that Jenova had such power over him, he could just as well retire from AVALANCHE, couldn't he?

Entering the room, he closed the door and wandered over to sit down on the bed.

Cloud was dead? Jessie was dead? Cid was surprised at how much the thought hurt. He'd been worried when Spike had just disappeared, but now his harsh thoughts came back to haunt him. Cloud had probably known. And how could Cid blame a man for wanting his freedom? Rubbing his face wearily, the pilot sent a silent plea of forgiveness to his friend.

Raito.

Cid gazed through his fingers down at the floor, remembering the feeling of the little child hugging him with all his little might. He'd trusted Cid Highwind to protect him. A wry laughter broke free, sounding almost pained, and he got up abruptly. If Raito only knew...

Shrugging off his jacket, Cid let it fall to the floor and wandered over to the window while removing his flight goggles as well. Kids weren't his thing. Simple as that. So why did he feel so bad? Shera. The blonde man closed his eyes tight.

She didn't understand. He'd tried to explain, but words had never been his stronger side. Shera had merely gazed confused at him when he'd told her that he had enough people hating him already! And she kept gazing at him with this hurt look...

Cid placed a hand against the window, feeling the cool surface. Vincent told him to get his act together, but it just wasn't that easy...

Taking out his cell phone, the pilot pressed the button to connect him to the woman on his mind. It rang a few times before she picked up.

"Captain?" Shera's voice sounded insecure as always.

Cid smiled faintly and moved over to sink down on a chair. "Hey..."

"Is everything ok?"

Another pang of sorrow. Cid sighed. "No... Not really..." He swallowed hard. "We found Cloud and Jessie today. Their graves."

A gasp and a sound of pain. "Cid, I'm so sorry..." He could hear Shera force back her own tears. "It must have been terrible for Tifa and Aeris..."

"Yeah..." Cid began fidgeting with his cigarette pack. "They had a kid, tho. Raito. Them Sephiroth-wannabees came for him, but we got there in time. Even managed to snatch one of them too." His heart was beating hard now.

"Cloud and Jessie has a son...?" Shera's voice was trembling. "Poor boy..."

Clearing his throat, Cid hesitated briefly. "Yeah, but... Tifa got him covered, so the kid's gonna be okay. Even ShinRa seems fine with Strife jr moving in."

Shera hesitated as well before replying. "Good. A child needs to know it's loved and wanted..."

"Exactly," Cid whispered, then cleared his throat again. "Listen, I gotta go... In serious need of a shower and some z's. Call ya later some time."

"Goodbye, Cid... Take care... And come home soon..."

* * *

Metal boots should make sound against the floor. 

Kadaj wasn't completely sure why that thought just kept repeating inside his head, but it did help him ignore Vincent Valentine's presence. At first he'd thought it'd be welcomed relief from the ninja brat's constant insults or her companion's obvious distaste for him, but the crimson cloaked man was proving to be an even bigger challenge for Kadaj's nerves.

The man didn't say anything. Merely watched him with his red eyes half-hidden under unruly black locks. It felt like a predator gazing out of the darkness. And if the muteness wasn't bad enough, he didn't make a sound at all! The golden metal boots didn't cause a single dent in the sound of silence when he walked.

Mother stirred.

"I'm sorry I never got to meet Lucrecia," Kadaj declared softly, eyeing the other man with glee. If Vincent reacted to the words, it was impossible to detect by only looking at him.

The former Turk didn't reply.

Kadaj sighed, squirming slightly against his restraints. He'd woken up in the darn airship and found himself hogtied in some cabin. He even had to suffer the indignation of being tossed over Barret's shoulder and carried to this new room. His current prison. "I hear she was a great lady. Quite helpful." Kadaj's eyes narrowed. "She even stabbed you, didn't she?"

No reaction this time either.

Closing his eyes, Kadaj leaned his head back against the wall and allowed himself to feel the throbbing bruises for a moment. Sephiroth had done quite a bit of work on it. Still, it didn't matter. Loz got away. And Yazoo would break him out.

"Why the children?"

The sound of Valentine's voice started Kadaj slightly and he gazed quickly over at the other man. It took a second before he realised that he wasn't dreaming. The man had actually spoken. "So you can speak. Amazing." The silver haired man gave a smile of pure acid. "What can I say? I like kids."

Vincent gave a barely noticeable frown. "You want Sephiroth's aid, and you kidnap his child. Rather foolish move."

"Yeah? And what were we supposed to do? Knock on his door with pamphlets?" Kadaj spat venomously and tugged at his restraints again. "We knew big brother wouldn't listen to us. Mother said so. We wanted his attention, and we got it. Right?"

The former Turk gazed at the insolent youth for a few seconds then stuck his chin out. "The one who draw Sephiroth's attention in such a matter always ends up dead. Does your cause require your death?"

Kadaj opened his mouth to deliver a snappy reply, but slowly clamped it shut. He glared hatefully at the dark haired man. There was still a lot about the Reunion that he didn't know or understood, but Mother knew, and that was all that mattered, right?

"Sephiroth, Hojo, Lucrecia and Cloud were all Jenova's puppets, but they all broke free." Vincent said silently, feeling the creatures inside him stir curiously. "Jenova uses people. You need to break free too, before it kills you."

His hateful glare grew even more intense as Kadaj made a silent vow that the only killing that would be done was him ramming a sword through Vincent Valentine. "Don't talk about Mother that way!"

Gazing at the young man with something reminding of a wistful expression, Vincent knew instinctively that this one was beyond rescue. At least it appeared that they'd might be able to contain the destruction this time, before any more people got hurt. The former Turk was still shaken to find Cloud Strife having joined the Lifestream, as well as the young lady that accompanied him. Why was a monster like him allowed to live, but a pure soul like Cloud had to leave?

Kadaj watched the distant and gloomy look slide back over Vincent Valentine's face and the young man tilted his head slightly. There was something about this man... Like someone peering out behind those red eyes...

And Chaos gazed back at him.

* * *

_AN; Yes, people! Yet another update! And within the same year! I'm almost proud of myself!_

_/End Sarcasm. Anyways, thanks to everyone who took the time to read and send me a few lines! Thank you so much for your words and your patience! I hope you'll keep reading and keep enjoying! Questions, comments and corrections desired and appreciated!_


	4. She breaks just like a little girl

**4. She breaks just like a little girl**

Aeris walked into the room, closing the door silently before leaning back against it. She gazed over at Sephiroth, still lying on their bed and staring emptily ahed. They hadn't spoken since before she'd seen the grave. Cloud and Jessie's grave. The thought still sent waves of pure agony through her.

Seconds passed.

Finally she pushed herself away from the door and walked over to the man lying on his stomach. The silence was so thick it felt hard to breathe.

Aeris sat down gingerly beside the silver haired man and reached out to brush his long locks over his shoulder. A touch to his back revealed the iron tension in his muscles. She hadn't felt him this ready to explode since Jenova had been manipulating his mind three years ago. "I hear you haven't been to see him..."

The young boy they'd brought back to Midgar. The one who had snatched Zefiris from their hands. Torn her from the safety of her hometown, and away from her parents.

"No," Sephiroth confirmed silently. He drew a strained breath. "I know if I go anywhere near him right now... I'd KILL the bastard!"

Aeris nodded, merely continuing her slow caresses over the tense shoulders. "You think they will bring Zefiris back to us now?"

Sephiroth hesitated. Then sighed wearily. "I don't know..."

Swallowing hard, Aeris absently played with a lone lock of silver hair. "We have to get her back, Sephiroth."

He sat up abruptly and got off the bed to stalk over to stare out the window.

Deafening silence once again, but it didn't take long before Aeris followed him. Standing behind him, she slid her arms around his waist and rested her cheek to his back. "I'm sorry..."

Sephiroth slowly placed a hand over one of hers. "No... I'm sorry." He had to force the words out. "This is all my fault... They're doing this because of who I am."

"And who you are born as is not something you can chose," Aeris whispered, closing her eyes. "We'll get her back. You know I trust you."

A faint smile appeared on Sephiroth's pale face and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "You always had too much faith in me..."

Aeris smiled faintly as well. "Noo... I think I have just the right amount." She nudged him to turn around and met his eyes as he did. "I believe in you."

For a moment, he merely searched her green eyes, and Sephiroth found that there was no trace of blame or anger towards him. Like always. And it was almost frightening how much that relieved him. Aeris was always there to yank him back if he went too far, shove him forward when he got too caught up in his own guilt to move, and love him when he hated himself. Light and darkness. Hope and despair. Life and death. Balance.

Aeris could almost feel Sephiroth taking in the strength she offered from her own soul. He was stronger than anything that would ever exist on this planet, but the burden of carrying that task could break the strongest of wills. Strength was nothing but a tool of destruction unless it was controlled. And the greatest control of oneself was to trust others. Sephiroth had never trusted anyone, except her.

"I will get her back," Sephiroth whispered intently, his eyes flaring with the colour of the Lifestream.

Aeris nodded.

She believed him.

Tentative fingers touched by her jawline, and Sephiroth bent down to barely let his brush against hers as he spoke. "And I'm going to kill the three of them. Eventually."

The flower girl trembled. A shiver of fear ran down her spine, and a dark place in her heart cheered. She knew this side of Sephiroth. It was the side that had burned down Nibelheim and summoned Meteor. It was the side that spilled blood until the ground was soaked with it. It was the side of him that had killed her once. A side Aeris knew would never go away, as it was as much a part of Sephiroth as his kind traits was.

Sephiroth released her and walked out of the room, only reaching out to call the Masamune to his hand, and closed the door silently behind him.

Aeris sank down to the floor and closed her eyes. She knew what he was capable of, and she didn't care. These men had taken her child, torn her from the safety of her home town, and kept her away. They deserved to suffer!

Right...?

But... Had she not always preached that violence was not the answer to violence? Treat enemies like friends? There is some good in everyone?

Aeris got up abruptly, angrily wiping away a tear from her face. Everyone had to grow up some time. Even a Midgar flower girl.

* * *

"Well, what is he?" Rufus drew a tired hand through his hair and shifted uneasily from where he was gazing at the scientist. 

The scientist shook his head and started to leaf through his notes. "I... I'm not sure..." He sent his superior an anxious look. "I've never seen anything like this!"

Too much had been happening lately, and Rufus was starting to feel the strain. "The best research team within bio-technology cannot tell me whether he is a clone or a teenager who got access to silver hair dye?" The young president shifted again, trying to ease the thrumming jolts of pain in his back. "I hope you forgive me for not being satisfied with that answer."

Getting up, the scientist paled with fear. "But, sir...! It's been years since the Sephiroth project got shut down! The Jenova effect hasn't been studied since..."

"Since?" Rufus asked sharply, crossing his arms.

"Since Hojo, sir." A thick file was placed on top of the desk. "Everything about the Jenova project went through him. His notes is everything that is left, but with the gaps in them; I think he destroyed most of his research." The scientist tapped a finger on the file. "I tried tracking down the people who used to work with Hojo, but it seems that most of them has been in... accidents."

Rufus closed his eyes, sighing. Of course Hojo would want to protect his pet project. "So you can't tell me anything?"

"In my opinion, the subject is not a clone. There are some differences." The scientist started leafing through his notes again. "Compared to Sephiroth, it seems like the subject is lacking strands of DNA and thus creates the differences." He placed a sheet for Rufus to see. "What is most startling is the fact that the DNA seems to be changing. Mutating."

"Changing?" Rufus picked up the sheet and gazed down at the unreadable scribbles. Suddenly the ache in his back was forgotten. "That's impossible."

The scientist nodded. "I would usually agree, but in this case... It's like he's changing into something." He hesitated. "Or someone."

Rufus frowned with disbelief. "Sephiroth..." He slowly placed the sheet back down on the table, resting a hand on it. "And there are two more out there..." Blue eyes flickered as his mind struggled to find reason in this insanity. "How...? Why...? Who!"

The door slammed open as Sephiroth himself stepped into the room. "ShinRa, where is he?"

It didn't take a genius to see the murderous rage in the silver haired man's eyes, and Rufus wasn't even aware of how he placed a hand on his shotgun. "Sephiroth... Before you, hmm, talk to our little prisoner, there's something you should know."

Sephiroth sneered annoyed. "What?"

Rufus' eyes narrowed. "He's turning into you."

"He what?" Sephiroth took a step towards the young president, his entire presence radiating danger. "What are you talking about?"

Rufus took a step towards him as well, forcing himself to meet the unnatural stare. "His DNA. He's mutating. Considering the likeness he already possesses, my money is on that he's copying your genes."

Anger was now replaced with confusion tainted with dread, and Sephiroth drew a shivering breath. "He's... a clone? Or, turning into a clone?"

"We don't know what he is," Rufus admitted reluctantly. "The only man who possibly could have told us is dead, and he took his work with him." He gave a dry smile at the look on Sephiroth's face. "Yeah, I'm talking about Hojo. Everyone who was working on the Jenvoa project seems to have met an unfortunate end, and his notes have huge gaps in them. Looks like he didn't want anyone copying his work."

"You think that is what this is?" Sephiroth asked silently. "Someone copying Hojo's work? Someone creating another... me?" A clone capable of thinking and acting on it's own, unlike the poor creatures Jenova created. The thought was too horrible.

Rufus started as Sephiroth suddenly spun around and was about to march out of the room. "Hey, where do you think you're going?"

Sephiroth paused in the doorway, glancing back at Rufus. "Tell Aeris I will be back tomorrow." He took another step, then glanced back a second time at the confused man. "I'm going to get answers."

* * *

"Why that child?" 

Kadaj blinked before slowly gazing over at Vincent Valentine again. Almost an hour of silence, and suddenly he decided to speak again? "Which child?"

Vincent raised his chin a barely noticeable inch. "Strife's son." He could understand why they had kidnapped Zefiris with the intent of blackmailing Sephiroth into helping them, but how did an orphan fit into it? And not just any child, but the son of the leader that had defeated their 'mother'.

Chuckling softly, Kadaj grinned viciously. "Mother told me to bring our little brother to her."

Little brother? Vincent gave a little shake of his head. "You claim to be Sephiroth's kin, and yet call Cloud Strife's son for your little brother?"

"Mother unites us all," Kadaj declared silkily, his eyes narrowing.

Vincent turned his face away, frowning. The Jenova cells. Everyone infected with the virus was a possible target. Sephiroth. Zefiris. Raito. And Cid. "Your two accomplices... Are they like you?"

Kadaj clicked his tongue. "My, we have a lot of questions, don't we? They are my brothers, yes. The three of us are going to find Mother."

Jenova was dead. Wasn't she? Vincent felt an unease spread through him. "How?"

Silence. Kadaj shifted uneasily and clenched his jaw hard as he glared.

Vincent held the gaze for a little while, then tilted his head. "You... don't know?" The boy was blindly following orders, but didn't know what he was getting himself into.

Kadaj continued to glare.

Silence as both refused to be the one who broke the eye lock, but they simultaneously gazed over when the door opened. Rufus ShinRa ignored the silver haired man and merely nodded for Vincent to come over.

The former Turk frowned quizzically as he walked towards the young president ShinRa.

"Sephiroth took off," Rufus explained quietly, casting a first glance over at the sour looking Kadaj. "He didn't stop by here?"

Vincent shook his head.

Rufus muttered a curse then sighed resigned. "The reports on our little visitor came back, and they didn't have much answers in them. No one really knows what this guy is, but it looks like he wont be it for very much longer." He eyed Kadaj warily, as if he was waiting for the transformation to happen in front of his very eyes. "The research scientists says he's changing. Inside. He's... mutating into a Sephiroth clone, or something."

A sick feeling was spreading through the former Turk, and he slowly gazed over at Kadaj as well. "Jenova... is alive."

"That's not possible!" Rufus hissed angrily, gesticulating towards the hall. "Aeris summoned Comet2, remember? There was Jenova all over the ground! She was even decorating the frigging trees! There is NO WAY that blob survived that!"

Vincent calmly met Kadaj's smug gaze, even as his words were directed at Rufus. "She's alive. In Sephiroth. In his daughter. In Raito, and Cid." He glanced briefly over at the stunned president. "Jenova is still alive."

Rufus shook his head, taking a step away. "But..." He cast a horrified look at the crimson cloaked man. "That means..."

Nodding, Vincent stated what had entered both their minds. "It means that she will stay alive as long as those people breathe."

"But... why wait?" Rufus crossed his arms and tried to calm himself. "If she's been alive all this time, why wait? Why now? And why these three Sephiroth clones?"

Vincent stuck his chin out towards Kadaj. "I fear even the boy there doesn't know the answers to those questions..." A brief pause. "Sephiroth didn't tell you where he was going?"

Rufus shook his head, feeling the same sick sensation of helplessness that he'd suffered through while facing Jenova and later; Jinrei. "He just ran off. Left his PHS so we wouldn't be able to track him..."

Vincent turned to walk out of the room, halting briefly to give a final advice. "Send Cid. With his airplane, he might be able to trace him."

Giving a faint nod, Rufus remained where he was as the former Turk left. It was several seconds later when he became aware of Kadaj's gaze resting on him. And the lazy smirk on the insolent face. It was the smirk of someone who was perfectly certain that he wouldn't be captured much longer.

* * *

"It's hard to believe," Yuffie stated, unusually quiet for once. "I mean... Cloud is the kinda doofus who'll outlive us all... Or... He was the kind... I mean..." The young ninja fell awkwardly silent and focused on the sleeping Robin in her arms. 

Tifa reached out and corrected the blanket over Raito. She couldn't think about Cloud. Not yet. All she could do was to focus on the son of Strife and her childhood friend, Jessie. The thought of losing them both would probably reduce her to a wreck once she allowed it to sink in. This was no the time to collapse. Raito needed her. "Where's Hawk?"

Yuffie glanced up as Tifa came over and took the sleeping child over in her own arms. "He's, uhm, talking to Reno. Guy talk, I think." She swallowed hard as Robin was placed beside her twin brother, and a blanket was placed over them as well. "I told him I wanted eight babies and he ran off on me."

That earned a weak laughter from Tifa, and she straightened to glance over at the Wutaian girl. "In a hurry, Yuffie?"

Shrugging, Yuffie placed her hands on her hips. "Why waste time?" She backed out of the children's room as Tifa ushered her to do so, waiting until she followed and closed the door after turning off the lights. "So... Who is the creepy guy you brought back, huh? Another weird Sephy groupie, or what?"

A faint smile this time, then Tifa shook her head. "To tell the truth, Yuffie, I know as much about him as you do. He claims to be Sephiroth's brother, but..."

"I'm having trouble believing Hojo found the time to leave his books long enough to get down with ONE woman," Yuffie made a grimace. "No way there are TWO women on this planet weird enough to fancy that crackpot!"

Sighing, Tifa made a small shrug. "Who knows? Hojo is not here to answer that question, so..." She frowned thoughtfully. "I just think that this is something he would have told Sephiroth back when he helped us against Jinrei."

Yuffie snorted scornfully. "Who knew what was going on up inside that over-active brain of his? It wasn't like he joined us by his own free will, so maybe he decided to keep some secrets to himself? The geezer always had a twisted sense of humor, maybe this is his idea of fun?"

Tifa didn't answer for a few seconds, then made a weak gesture. "Either way, Rufus and Sephiroth will get to the truth. One way or the other." She cast a last glance back at the door to the children's room. "After everything that has happened... I need the truth."

The Wutai ninja knew Tifa was still struggling to come to terms with what had happened to Cloud and Jessie, and wasn't too sure herself if she'd really understood that they were gone. Cloud was not someone who could just... die. Yuffie tried to remember where she'd seen him for the last time, but... Hawk had been so badly injured, and she'd spent all her time with him. Only, Cloud had been the one who'd saved Hawk's life. He was the one who'd brought him back to Midgar after Sephiroth had nearly killed them all by attacking Jinrei's base. "I think we all want the truth, Tifa. It seems like no matter what we manage to get through, there is always new wounds and words left unspoken."

Glancing over at Yuffie, Tifa felt her heart ache. She sounded so painfully mature right now. Tifa knew herself how much you were forced to grow up when your father was murdered and your hometown destroyed. "We can't give up." She gently placed an arm around Yuffie's slender shoulders. "We can never give up."

Yuffie forced a smile and tried to bury her own memories from two years ago. "Nope. Never gonna give up. My old man would kick my ass in the after-life if I did that!" Her smile faltered slightly. "I'm just starting to realise how many is going to wait for me there..." Her father, all her friends in Wutai, Red, Jessie and... Cloud. "Makes you wonder who will be next?"

Tifa swallowed hard. "We'd all go crazy if we went around thinking like that." She hugged the younger woman a little closer. "No one else is going to... leave us. Ok? Now we are going to get ice cream!"

A trembling laugh, and Yuffie nodded. "Sounds like a grand idea!"

Tugging the ninja along, Tifa shoved all the dark thoughts fiercly away. She couldn't think about them. Not now. "And it gets even better when I tell you that there is chocolate chip ice cream!"

"Tell me there is that yummy sprinkle stuff too, and I will seriously consider marrying you instead!" Yuffie declared in a loud voice, knowing they both merely denied to face the horrible truth. People would get hurt this time too. Someone could die. But for now, all they could do was pretend. Pretend everything would be fine. Eventually.

* * *

"So you're Rufus ShinRa..." Kadaj declared more than asked, and smirked slightly. "I hear your father was a great president, and that now it's Tifa who has the real power in ShinRa Inc." 

Frowning, Rufus glanced drily over at the prisoner as he was about to leave. "Excuse me?"

Kadaj's smirk widened a tiny inch. "People don't fear you anymore, Mr President. They know you've been de-fanged."

Rufus turned to face him completely and crossed his arms annoyed. "You really like pissing people off, don't you? Is that some hobby you got? It might get you killed one day. You should be careful."

"Is that a threat?" Kadaj slowly got up, but didn't move towards the other man. His was hands held in front of him, wrists throbbing due to the tight chains around them, and he tilted his head slightly. "You've been hanging around my big brother too much. He really should learn to control his temper."

Blue eyes narrowed slightly and Rufus gave his trademarked brat prince smile that oozed obnoxious confidence. "Yeah, he did transform your face into quite the artwork. Surrealistic or impressionistic? I could never get those two right..."

Kadaj unknowingly let the tip of his tongue touch his split lower lip before focusing on Rufus again. "He will come around, Mr President. Mother needs him. No one says no to Mother."

Rufus felt a spark of interest and flicked back a lock of his fiery hair. "Mother? That would be Jenova, right? She told you to kidnap Zefiris?"

"The girl is my niece," Kadaj growled, his shoulders tensing. "You don't kidnap family. She's just visiting until big brother realises the truth."

"The truth?" Rufus asked curiously, forgetting about how he was supposed to leave the room. "And what is the truth?"

Kadaj glared at him for a moment, trying to remember everything that Mother had told him. Even the parts that didn't make sense. "Sephiroth is special to Mother. She needs his help." A brief pause, then he sank down to sit on the bed again without taking his eyes of the ShinRa President. "This planet... Mother was destined to rule this planet, until those Cetra fools got in the way! It was fate that this planet was to be destroyed by Mother, and those idiots ruined everything! They interrupted Mother's plans and left the planet to the bumbling race you belong to!"

Rufus blinked, trying to understand whether it was insanity or brainwashing that made these words appear. "The Cetra did what the planet wanted. They destroyed Jenova before she could destroy everything."

"Like humans don't destroy?" Kadaj snorted with scorn, leaning back against the wall. "Your Mako reactors and wars. Foolish people."

"Why Sephiroth? Why is he special?" Rufus leaned against the wall as well, sideways.

Kadaj's gaze flickered over to the door. "Big brother must be there for the Reunion." He let the silence reign for a little while, then frowned as if trying to remember something. "I... I don't know why Mother insists on keeping him alive. Why she wont let me just kill him. But I don't question Mother. I'll do whatever she wants me to do."

Rufus straightened. "Reunion?" Wasn't that what Cloud had been talking about, three years ago when he was struggling against Jenova's influence on his mind?

A distant look came to Kadaj's unnatural eyes. "Reunion..." He gave something reminding of a faint laugh. "Without the Reunion, we'll never be whole."

It was like being handed random pieces of a puzzle and not having the picture to match them to! Rufus forced his impatience away. "You and your... brothers? You're not whole?"

Kadaj shook his head slowly. "We're... Mother will make us complete at the Reunion. Maybe we'll become important too?"

Rufus couldn't shake the feeling that he was talking to a child. A deadly, violent, but nonetheless, small child. Kadaj didn't hesitate to kill, but spoke with childlike innocence and showed immature tantrums. It was a combination that didn't make sense, considering that he had to be a young adult due to his appearance. "Jenova... Reunion... Sephiroth..." Rufus shook his head and took a step towards Kadaj. "You know we wont let it happen. We'll fight you. And we'll win again."

Reptile eyes flickered with something mean and Kadaj raised an eyebrow. "But are you willing to kill Sephiroth too?"

Rufus didn't answer.

Kadaj grinned. "Because we both know that as long as Sephiroth is alive, then Mother lives inside him." The grin turned into a soft laugh, tainted with insanity. "Mother lives inside everyone with her cells!"

* * *

When Aeris first learned that the ShinRa guards had orders to not let her out of the ShinRa Tower, she'd first been furious. For about two and a half seconds. Then calm settled. The calm that always settled before she'd sneak out of the house late evenings to meet Zack all those years ago. Bitter-sweet memories... If Aeris wanted out, she would find a way. 

It took her about an hour.

Hurrying towards the church, Aeris tried to convince herself that she was doing the right thing.

At first she'd thought she was imagining things, but slowly realised that she wasn't. For the last few hours, she'd seen glimpses of him. A blurred shadow. A streak of silver. A flash of Lifestream coloured eyes. It was the same man she'd met in the church before. He was just about challenging her to come out and meet him again.

Aeris had no trouble dodging Tifa and Yuffie, and she had no idea where the others were. She hadn't seen Sephiroth for hours, and could only hope he would forgive her for acting so reckless again. But she had to do anything she could to get her daughter back. Nothing else mattered.

Entering the church to find it empty was almost a disappointment, and Aeris could only kneel down in her flowers and wait. And pray.

"You're not going to hit me again, are you?"

The voice was a silky drawl, and Aeris gazed hastily behind her to see the young silver haired man standing there. Looking as obnoxiously smug as always. The flower girl jumped to her feet and turned to face him. "Where is she?"

Yazoo tilted his head. "Safe." He eyed her neutrally. "And my brother?"

"Safe," Aeris retorted acidly. "For now." She drew a trembling breath. "If you're not here to give me my child back, are you here to bring me to her then?"

A smug smiled that almost begged for a fist to wipe it away, and Yazoo made a barely perceptible shake of the head. "I'm just here to make sure my brother is alive."

Aeris wrung her hands nervously. "Please, if you just return Zefiris to us, you'll get your brother back!"

The amusement vanished from Yazoo's face and his eyes hardened. "Do not insult my intelligence." He took a step closer to her, his entire presence radiating unspoken threats. "They have no intention of trading. The second they have the kid, Sephiroth will kill Kadaj."

Shaking her head frantically, Aeris felt fear starting to spread through her for real. She'd been so sure that Sephiroth's plan would bring their daughter back. "No! I promise! I'll make sure..."

Her words faded as Yazoo placed his index finger lightly to her lips, and the corner of his mouth tugged at a smile. "Forgive me if I don't trust your word on this. It is Rufus ShinRa and Sephiroth's show, after all. You don't have any say in this, half-blood."

Aeris hated herself for the tears that welled up in her eyes. She reached up and took a light hold of his wrist, lowering his hand slightly from her lips. "They'll listen to me. I just have to..."

Yazoo watched her hand touching his. "They'll just kill both me and my brother the second they get the chance to do so. You will not be able to prevent that if I'd agreed to your deal." He frowned confused. He'd thought a Cetra half-blood touching him would feel... different. Revolting, somehow. Not this... quiet. He wasn't even aware of talking out loud before he heard his own voice; "I can't hear her..."

Aeris frowned confused as well. His words didn't make sense. Nor did the almost nervous look on his face. And he just kept staring at her hand. Suddenly a long forgotten memory resurfaced, and the flower girl remembered Sephiroth telling her about how her touch blocked out Jenova's influence. But that had been when she'd been a child of the Cetra! They'd cut all their connection with her, taken away her powers! Still, she didn't even hesitate, but reached up to take Yazoo's face between her hands and force him to focus on her gaze. "Bring my daughter back to me. Please!"

Yazoo's eyes flickered. He slowly reached up and took a hold of her hands. "She's not here." Lowering her hands, Yazoo released her and took a step away. "I'll bring her tomorrow. Be here at noon. Keep my brother alive."

Aeris' heart thundered wildly with hope and she nodded eagerly. "I promise." She wrapped her arms tensely around herself. "Thank you."

Yazoo grinned like a razor blade. "Oh, I wouldn't thank me just yet..." And he vanished into the shadows.

An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of Aeris' stomach, and it felt hard to breathe. She couldn't trust him. She knew that. But what choice did she have?

* * *

Dusk was bleeding into heavy night when Trigger finally came to a halt with a complaining sound. The golden chocobo lowered her head wearily as she tried to catch her breath, only giving a faint wark to the light pet on her neck. 

Sephiroth was almost relieved to feel the snow beneath his boots again, having had some of his happiest moments in snow covered surroundings. Only this time, he was here on anything but happy circumstances. It was a place he'd sworn he would never visit again. Strange how desperation made you do the most unthinkable things.

Leaving Trigger to recover, the silver haired man walked the final steps over to where he stood in front of a door. A door belonging to a small house in the middle of nowhere. He hesitated one second before raising his hand and knocking tensely on the cold surface.

"One moment!" The voice sounded as cheerful and distracted as always.

Sephiroth closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. He was here for help, not to lose his temper like he usually did. This was too important.

Minutes passed, and nothing happened. Waiting a little longer, then Sephiroth knocked again. Impatience and annoyance seeping into his movement.

"Someone at the door? Oh dear. One moment!" The voice sing-sang again.

This time, Sephiroth only waited about half a minute before knocking for a third time. Or, hammering at the door, to be more precisely.

Finally, the door opened, revealing a tiny man with a huge beard and an impossibly huge hat. Gazing up at the tall visitor, the small man squinted behind his round sunglasses. "Yes? Are you here about the girl scout cookies? I already told you people I would take two boxes already!"

As always, the Chocobo Sage had the ability to make Sephiroth stunned with disbelief, even in the most unlikely situations. Quickly shaking it off, the silver haired man glared at the Sage. "No, I'm NOT here about some damn cookies, and you know it!"

"I do?" The Sage tapped a finger to the brim of his hat. "I can't remember for the life of me..."

Sephiroth took a step towards the little man. "I'm here because I need your help." He nearly choked on the words. "Three silver haired men has abducted my daughter. They claim to be my brothers, but I don't have any brothers! And yet they all look so alike me!"

The Chocobo Sage gazed silently at him, then turned and walked inside. "How about you come inside and have some tea while I look for some gil for those cookies?"

Sephiroth stalked inside, slamming the door after him. "Listen! I don't want your tea! I'm not here to sell those frigging cookies! I need your help, and I know you can do it!"

Gazing into an old tea pot, the Sage hummed thoughtfully. "Yes, this will do..." He shuffled over to the sink and started filling it with water. "You must be parched after that long trip..."

"Stop stalling, old man!" Sephiroth snapped angrily, placing one hand on the hilt of the Masamune. "You're going to help me. Now, I asked nicely, but if you're not going to listen to reason then..." His words faded as he tugged at the sword, but found it impossible to budge. The Masamune was like glued to it's sheath. Sephiroth slowly gazed over at the Sage.

Putting the kettle on the stove, the Sage sighed wearily. "Always so impatient." He turned to face his visitor. "Tea first. Then we'll go."

Sephiroth drew a startled breath as his knees just gave in, and his fall was halted by a chair. He was now sitting by the table and a cup of steaming tea was in front of him. Blinking confused, he glanced over at the Sage. "Go where?"

The Sage picked up the kettle and poured himself a cup of tea as well, dropping five lumps of sugar into it. "To the ones who can help you." A spoon was now being used to slowly stir the liquid. "You seek the advice of the dead. We both know where you must go."

Sephiroth slowly placed his hands around his tea cup, feeling the warmth through his leather gloves. A second later, he even dared a sip. It was no surprise that the liquid tasted funky. The old man's tea always tasted bad. "They'll never listen to me. It was made pretty clear when I broke our deal that they wanted nothing more to do with me."

"We'll leave as soon as you finish your tea!" The Sage added another lump of sugar to his own cup and slurped happily. "I dare say those scout cookies will be most enjoyable as we travel!"

"I don't have any cookies," Sephiroth grumbled, not sure why he even bothered to reason with the clearly insane man. He got up and rubbed his eyes, feeling slightly dizzy. "That tea..." It wasn't the first time the old man had drugged him, so Sephiroth had only himself to thank for falling for that trick again, dammit! "What did you...?"

_Your presence here is sacrilege, child of Jenova._

The voice of the Cetra suddenly rang through Sephiroth's mind and he automatically clutched his head as he staggered. He was in the Lost Capital? It was no mistaking the glowing buildings nor the crystal clear water. How... How was that possible? Was he dreaming? He had no time for nightmares now! He was going to KILL that old man!

_What is the reason for this trespassing? Have you come to rob us of more of our blood? Hasn't there been enough spilled to sate your thirst?_

Sephiroth forced himself together and shook off his dizziness. "I came here... because... My daughter has been kidnapped. The men who did it claims to be my brothers, but... I need to talk to Hojo!"

_Your child's fate is of little concern to us._

Gritting his teeth in anger, Sephiroth tried to keep his calm. "These men also work for Jenova. They kidnapped my daughter to force me into aiding their efforts to return the Crisis. Does that concern you?"

_A life for a life._

"What?" Sephiroth frowned confused, and it didn't ease when the voices merely repeated what they'd said. A life for a life. "The price of you helping me is my life?"

_A life. And the right to claim the life when we see it fit._

Sephiroth hesitated, then swallowed hard. "Not Aeris or Zefiris."

_Agreed._

A flash of light, and it just seemed to grow stronger and stronger. Finally forcing Sephiroth to cover his eyes and taking a step away.

"No! No, no, no! You can't make me, and..." Hojo's rant was cut off as he suddenly found himself standing in the Cetra capital and gazing at, not Lucrecia, but his long lost son. "Oh, crap..."

* * *

_AN; Yes, people, he's back! The person we all love to hate! You didn't really think you'd manage to read through a Sulphurya fic and not meet the Sage and Hojo, did you? A huge thank you to all the people who took the time to read and leave me a message! Every comment is cherished and it really gives me the inspiration to keep writing!_


	5. Hush, little baby, don't say a word

**5. Hush, little baby, don't say a word**

Jenova. Reunion.

Those two words was the reason for Rufus' old life to be completely destroyed three years ago. Now, as much as he didn't regret things turning out the way they had, especially as Tifa hugged him closer in her sleep, the ShinRa President felt horribly uneasy at hearing the words mentioned again.

Kadaj had seemed utterly dedicated to his cause, just like Sephiroth had been all those years ago. Like Cloud Strife himself, when under the Crisis' influence.

What would be left broken in the wake this time?

Rufus sighed, gazing up into the darkness. Leaving Kadaj in his cell hours ago, he'd returned to Tifa's side and even when in the safety of his own bed, the cold voice kept haunting him in the night. It was so frustrating trying to understand the reason in the derailed logic... Like Sephiroth, Kadaj was a complicated puzzle. Parts of sanity mixed with shards of insanity. There was something to be read in what Kadaj had told him, yet Rufus couldn't sort it out.

Tifa sighed softly, her breath caressing Rufus' bare chest, and his gloomy thoughts was momentarily interrupted. Smiling, he absently brushed away a dark lock of hair from her face and savoured her presence.

Even if the world went crazy again, he still had her. His family. That was enough.

That was when the first explosion shook the ShinRa Tower.

Instantly awake, Rufus was out of the bed before Tifa had managed to sit up with a startled cry.

"What's going on?" She called out as she scrambled out of bed too. "Rufus! What was that?"

Rufus fastened his jeans and grabbed a shirt. "Trouble." He stalked towards the door. "Stay here."

Tifa frowned, before grabbing her robe. "Yeah, right!" She didn't hesitate, even as he turned to face her in the doorway with a warning look. Halting only inches from him, Tifa met his glare evenly. "The twins."

Biting back a curse, Rufus cast a hasty glance down the hall. It was basically just about impossible that any intruders could reach the top level of the tower, so the twins were theoretically safe. Theoretically. The fiery haired man nodded briefly in defeat. "Be careful!"

Tifa nodded as well, absently clutching her robe tightly around her as she watched Rufus run towards the elevator. "You be careful too, you moron!"

Rufus grinned slightly and gave her a light wave before stepping into the elevator. That was his wife. Beautiful, strong and as stubborn as a chocobo! His light thoughts were interrupted once more as the building shook again. The intruders had to pack some pretty heavy fire power to manage this kind of ruckus, and obviously pretty intent on getting Kadaj back. Oh, yes, Rufus had no doubt this was the rescue mission that had kept the young man so calm throughout his capture. It was going to be fun to see that smirk rubbed off his face when the rescue failed!

The first thing that greeted Rufus when the elevator doors opened was thick, grey smoke. The alert was blaring frantically, and the flickering orange light was dancing on the smoke. The ShinRa soldiers running around added even more to the chaos.

It was a good thing that he knew his way around. It was almost impossible to see through the heavy fog.

Slowly making his way through the mayhem, Rufus coughed strained as he finally reached the door. It was still unharmed. A couple of ShinRa soldiers were guarding it with anxious looks on their faces. Relief lasted for about five seconds, then there was movement in the smoke. A person. Sephiroth?

Rufus blinked surprised, but the moment passed, and he realised this man was not the one he'd come to count on as a friend. This one was an even more disturbing copy. Shorter hair, but long enough to cause a flicker of uncertainty of his identity, but too weak a frame to fulfill the illusion. The young president had barely time to take a step backwards, then there was yet another explosion. Flames roaring and invisible forces ramming into anything in their way.

It was strange how silent it always got after a painfully loud sound. Rufus had been aware of falling, but numbly realised that he was now lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. It was hard to breathe. And he was also becoming more aware of the pain spreading through him. The alert was now a distant sound.

Kadaj's face swam into focus above him, and the silver haired man was smiling. A second face beside him, the long haired one. And then a third on Kadaj's other side. A short haired one with a bored look. Rufus felt a spark of panic as he was slipping into unconsciousness, and he could feel Kadaj placing something in his hand. Fingers automatically locked around it. The three men was then gone.

Reno's voice called his name, and the Turk was suddenly beside him.

* * *

"Get on the bird." 

"No."

"Get on. The bird." Sephiroth's patience was wearing dangerously thin, but it didn't look like the newly arrived scientist was awfully concerned.

Hojo sent him a dry look. "No."

The silver haired swordsman took a step towards him. "Get on the chocobo now, or I swear I'll...!"

"You got one bird," Hojo pointed out with a sour smile. "Are you suggesting we're both going to get on that creature?"

Sephiroth paused. True, Trigger would have no trouble carrying both of them, but like Hojo; Sephiroth wasn't thrilled at the thought of the other man that close to him. He might not hate his biological father as fiercly as he once did, that did not mean he had reached the hugging stage. "You get on. I'll walk."

"Math was never your strong side," Hojo remarked snidely, gazing at the golden chocobo with disdain.

Surprised at the embarrassment he felt, Sephiroth huffed annoyed. "What do you mean? I got perfect results on every test you gave me since I was five!"

Hojo waved the words away. "Yes, but that was the times I actually got you complete a test. You always preferred to chase your teacher around with a sharp object, didn't you?" If he'd kept his eyes on his son, he'd seen the sheepish look on him, but the scientist was too busy sulking over being dragged back to a place that only wished him gone once more. "Where is that girl of yours anyway? She's the brain of your duo."

Sephiroth frowned. "She's in Midgar." He hesitated, then cleared his throat. "You know why you're back, right?"

"Maybe if I did, I wouldn't be as annoyed as I am, now would I?" Hojo sneered, taking a step away from Trigger's curious face.

"There's three men running around that looks like me," Sephiroth began, and only hesitated briefly before dropping the bomb. "They kidnapped Zefiris."

Hojo tensed. He remained silent for a while, and golden brown eyes became impossible to read. When he finally glanced over at his son again, there was a flicker of confusion that was quickly hidden away again. "Well, can't you just call your little helpers and have them fetch us with a helicopter or something?"

Relief washed over Sephiroth as he realised that Hojo was actually basically agreeing to helping him. For now. "I left the PHS behind. I didn't want Rufus to track me down and stop me from going alone."

A long pause. Hojo merely gazed at him. Then he drew a deep breath and shook his head. "You can't possibly be my son...!" He took off his glasses and automatically wiped them on his sleeve. "You go into the wilderness, knowing there are people who abduct children to get you, and you don't bring a phone? No son of mine would be that stupid."

Sephiroth sputtered angrily. "Yeah, like YOU are the dream father!"

The sound of a footstep made the two turn abruptly and gaze over at where Cid stood staring surprised at them.

"Well, slap my butt and call me Bob, is that really the old geezer?" The pilot looked like he half expected the dark haired man to vanish in a pillar of smoke at any minute!

Hojo closed his eyes. "And thank you, Highwind, for that mental picture that now will leave me traumatized forever." He started walking towards the blonde. "Of course it's me. Who else would be stupid enough to help you people. Again."

The scientist trugded towards the airship, while Sephiroth walked beside Cid with Trigger. "How did you find us?"

"I merely followed your tracks, talked to the people that had seen you speed by and the usual stuff," Cid replied, still gazing curiously at Hojo.

Sephiroth frowned. "But... I went north. Way north. How did you know we'd ended up here?"

Cid glanced over at him, chuckling amused. "You must've been dreaming that, Sephy, cuz your tracks lead straight to this place."

Sephiroth was REALLY going to kill the Sage the next time he had the misfortune of seeing him.

"Can't even remember what route he took, no wonder he needs my help," Hojo muttered in a huff.

Sputtering again, Sephiroth automatically placed his hand on the Masamune. "I did go north! It's that little twerp that's messing with me again!"

Cid petted his shoulder as he passed the silver haired man. "I think we better get you back to Midgar, buddy. Looks like you could use a little rest."

Sephiroth fumed. "I DID GO NORTH!" He gazed from Cid to Hojo, neither looking very convinced. "That old man thought I was selling girl scout cookies!"

A pause. Then Cid drew a slow breath and turned to his airship again. "Yeah, oh-kay, let's just get you back to Midgar, Seph. Fast."

* * *

"Rufus?" A distant voice. "Rufus, please wake up. Look at me." 

It was Tifa's voice. Sounding so worried. A thin and fragile plea that cut through the darkness.

Groaning softly, Rufus slowly became aware of the thrumming pain and his eyes fluttered open. What had happened? He didn't remember. Wait. He did remember. The explosion. Kadaj. The other two. "Did... they get away...?"

Tifa's face swam into focus, and she clutched his hand gratefully. "Rufus! Don't worry. You're going to be just fine. Ok?"

Rufus frowned, now slightly worried. He tried to sit up, but pain shot through his entire body, and he had to allow Tifa to help him by placing pillows behind his back to support him. A weak sense of comfort was found in the pain in his legs, as it at least meant he could feel them. "How bad is it?"

"You got lucky." Tifa absently corrected a lock of his hair. "The doctor said it was nothing less than a miracle that you didn't get paralyzed this time. Rufus, you got to be more careful! Last week, you nearly..."

Rufus shook his head annoyed, cutting her off. "I know!" He drew a frustrated breath. "Then I take it that Kadaj got away?"

Tifa gazed down at the floor.

A knock on the door broke the silence that followed, and Yuffie stuck her head into the room. "He awake?"

Nodding, Tifa motioned for her to come in. "Yeah, he's awake and grouchy already." She smiled faintly to the sour looking ShinRa. "There's some people here to see you."

The ninja skipped inside the room, followed by Aeris with the twins, Barret, Seto, Hawk and Reno. "We heard from Cid a couple of hours ago!" Yuffie grinned from ear to ear. "He's bringing Sephiroth back to Midgar, and you'll never guess who's coming with them!"

Rufus blinked confused, gazing briefly at the pale Aeris, but then shook his head. "Who?"

"Hojo!" Reno blurted out, stalking over to stand in front of the hospital bed. "Listen, boss, Kadaj and his posse got away. Not even the ninja's were able to track'em down."

Barely avoiding his mouth dropping open, Rufus gathered himself. "Hojo?" Kadaj's escape came as no surprise and only made him more annoyed. "How's that possible?"

Tifa got up and walked over to Aeris, moving her daughter over into her arms. "He appeared when we needed his help against Jinrei. I suspect it happened again."

Barret snorted. "Dem Cetra foos wasn't too happy with Sephiroth. Why help him now?"

"Because if they don't, Sephiroth might have no choice but to join Jenova again," Aeris explained silently, allowing Tifa to claim the second twin as well.

Silence followed, then Rufus suddenly frowned confused. "Where is Vincent?"

The exchange of puzzled looks told that no one actually knew. The last time anyone had seen the former Turk was when Kadaj had been freed. He was gone? Where?

"Considering the amounts of Mako you were exposed to as a child, I'm not surprised that there are side-effects. I'm merely puzzled as to why it's taken this long to manifest themselves." Hojo's voice came through the air, along with the tell-tale sound of the elevator doors opening and Sephiroth's vehement objection to him hallucinating about old men mistaking him for a girl scout cookie salesman. A smug laugh revealed Cid with them as well. The scientist was in the middle of yet another snappy reply when he halted in the doorway to the hospital room and gazed at the crowd gathered by Rufus ShinRa's bed. "Why, a welcoming committee? You really shouldn't have."

It was hard to say who was the most surprised, after everyone had stared for a few seconds, when Aeris' eyes teared up and she ran. Throwing her arms around him, hiding her face to Hojo's chest, the half-Cetra sobbed quietly against the stunned man. She had complete faith in that he would know what to do!

Awkwardly raising a hand to pet her shoulder lightly, Hojo cleared his throat. "Now, now, I didn't even call you Cetra this time..." He hesitated, then whispered silently. "We'll get her back. I promise. And after that, I'll take these creatures apart and find out everything there is to know about them."

Aeris raised her face to meet his eyes with their uncanny golden brown colour. "Thank you. For coming back." She managed a weak smile, then released him to move over to the staring Sephiroth. "And you..." A second hug, this time heartily returned. "Welcome home..."

Hojo sheepishly pushed a lock of his black hair out of his face as he gazed away from his son re-united with his beloved, and started slightly as he saw everyone else in the room staring at him. "What? I'm huggable!"

Rufus joined in on the faint laughter of disagreement that appeared in the room after the scientist's statement, but then gazed thoughtfully at a small object on his nightstand. It was the item that Kadaj had pressed into his hand before vanishing like a bad dream.

A small cell phone.

* * *

The motorcycles finally came to a halt, and the one called Yazoo got off to aid their injured brother. Kadaj released his grip on Loz and allowed the other to help him get off the massive machine. A low conversation, where Kadaj nodded and pushed Yazoo's hands away, while Loz watched them anxiously. The fiercest looking of them was obviously the more delicate. Another nod, then Kadaj lifted his face and gazed directly at the one watching them. "I think you can come out now." 

Vincent frowned, prolonging a reply for a moment as he remained crouched on a thick branch. How had the child of Jenova discovered him? As a former Turk, the dark haired man knew how to follow his prey without being discovered. However, the slit pupil eyes were looking directly at him and left little doubt that Kadaj was very much aware of his presence. Probably for the entire pursuit.

Yazoo pulled out his gun blade and Loz got into a fighting position, each on different side of Kadaj, when Vincent Valentine landed on the ground a small distance from them.

Kadaj chuckled softly, his body revealing his weariness despite the keen look in his eyes. "I'm impressed you managed to keep up with the bikes."

"Where is Zefiris?" Vincent kept a wary watch on both Yazoo and Loz, but neither appeared ready to attack him without some signal from their leader.

Another soft laugh, Kadaj shook his head this time. "You should be worried about your own fate, Mr. Stalker."

Vincent's brow furrowed slightly and he made a barely noticeable shrug. "If, and I cannot see how it's possible, you were to defeat me, you will gain nothing from it." Something reminding of a wry smile. "Or do you plan to continue this idiotic kidnapping plan to a new level?"

Kadaj's eyes flickered with malice and he took a step towards the red cloaked man, ignoring the piercing look Yazoo sent him. "Quite the opposite actually. I'm counting on your assistance when it comes to making our big brother see reason."

If Vincent had been the type to laugh out loud, he would have done so, yet as it was so against his nature; Vincent settled for a incredulous raise an eyebrow. "You're even more deluded than Sephiroth himself was in his time. I am here to bring Zefiris back. Either you give her to me, or I will fetch her myself by force."

There was a click as Yazoo cocked his gun blade and Loz clutched his hands hard enough to cause electricity to crackle, but Kadaj merely kept grinning.

Having calculated his plan, Vincent knew there was only a tiny possibility for the three being able to get close enough to actually do some damage to the former Turk, yet all his instincts were screaming about some unseen danger. He couldn't see the threat, but the nervous tingling down his neck was not something he would ignore. "You shouldn't have taken Zefiris. Sephiroth will never stop before he's spilled your blood now. He will never forgive you for this." Vincent wasn't even aware of taking a cautious step backwards.

Kadaj's eyelashes lowered for a second, then his eerie eyes locked on Vincent Valentine before he uttered a single word. A name. The true name of a demon.

Vincent buckled over as if someone had rammed a sword through him and could only gasp in pain as darkness attacked him from within. Chaos roared inside his head and he felt the wings tear through his back. The demon's claws were taking over his hands, and Vincent only had time to feel a flicker of fear before everything went black. Never before had the demon been this strong, and Chaos was the most powerful enemy the former Turk had been up against. Every battle between him and the demon in the past seemed like minor shuffles compared to this, even the ones where Vincent had lost, and the demon roared in anger as much as triumph when his human host faded into darkness.

Yazoo took an involuntary step backwards, eyes widening slightly as the monstrous creature appeared in front of them. He refused to acknowledge the trace of fear in his rapid heartbeats as red demon eyes moved over them in turn to the sound of lazily beating wings. The monsters they summoned was nothing against this one. Those were puppets for them to use, while this demon probably rivaled their own intelligence. If not surpassing it. This was beyond dangerous now...! Had Kadaj really lost it?

_"The last time anyone uttered my name, this planet was still young," _Chaos declared in a deep voice. Pure malice was radiating from the creature, and they all knew curiosity was the only reason why he hadn't attacked them yet. _"Why did you call me, little one?"_

The true name of a demon was a powerful thing indeed. If you knew how to handle it, even the most powerful demon had to bend to the one wielding it. Kadaj knew Mother was right to trust him with it. "I want you to aid us in our cause." He smiled slightly at the horrid grin of mockery on Chaos' face, and used his trump card. "You want your freedom, don't you?"

A memory of a barren battlefield, the smell of fire and blood, and Chaos crossed his arms tensely. _"The last time I trusted someone of your kind, she didn't deliver."_

Kadaj's grin turned even wider as his eyes narrowed. "Your powers in trade for your freedom, and should you decide to cancel our deal... I'm sure you will have no problem killing us."

Chaos eyed them with evident disgust for a few seconds, the lure of the return of his freedom dangerously strong. He'd been a free creature once. His own master. And this prison inside Vincent Valentine was slowly killing him as well. With this insolent whelp knowing his name, Chaos actually had the possibility to keep Valentine subdued for some time. Hopefully long enough to find a way to break free. _"I accept this offer. For now."_

* * *

Cid Highwind peered over Hojo's shoulder as the scientist was reading some papers on his way to his old laboratory, and the pilot had decided to tag along for some obscure reason. "That's the report on the guy we caught, huh?" 

"Excellent deduction, Highwind," Hojo grumbled, barely able to resist the urge to swat the blonde away. "No need to waste time. And these morons ShinRa got in his labs can't match my genius, so I probably got to do most of it all over again."

Grinning slightly, Cid glanced over at the other man. "Modest as always, eh, Hojo?" He chuckled slightly at the haughty scoff he received, as they both knew Hojo never joked about calling himself a genius. The pilot was about to give another snide remark, but then the doors to the laboratory opened and for a moment he was surprised at the look on the scientist's face. Hojo had a default grumpy expression most of the time, but for a heartbeat it was gone. There was almost a soft affection in the golden brown eyes as he saw his old work place. Lucrecia might be the woman in his heart, but Cid knew science was in Hojo's blood the same way flying was in his.

Hojo cleared his throat and shuffled inside, refusing to admit that he had actually missed this. The knowledge of the never-ending possibilities he could discover under a microscope. The excitement of a new discovery. The glorious feeling when he was right. The dark haired man tried to tell himself that this was not the time for that. He was here to work!

Cid sauntered after him and plopped into a chair. "So, uh, it's good to be back, huh?"

Hojo honoured him with a non-committing sound, leafing through another addition of papers already awaiting him on the desk.

Hesitating, Cid stared at the floor before glancing over again. "How was the after-life then?"

"Bring a book," Hojo advised annoyed, then put down his research to focus on the pilot. "Why are you here, Highwind?"

The blonde stuttered something, shifted uneasily in his seat, feeling how the piercing gaze never eased up for one second. The harsh glare demanded an answer. "Well, I just... I wanted to ask you..."

Hojo rolled his eyes. "For the love of acid sodium carbonate, will you just please stop wasting my time?"

Cid's drew a deep breath, tensing, before he managed to force himself to speak. "You... Sephiroth and you don't exactly... get along, do you?"

Defensiveness replaced annoyance, and Hojo slowly placed his research paper down on his desk. "I believe that's an understatement, but I can agree to that. Any reason why you feel like pointing this out?"

"It doesn't bother you?" Cid blurted out, almost anxiously. He gesticulated faintly. "I mean..."

Hojo hesitated briefly then shrugged. "There's very little I can do about it. His dislike for me is very well founded, and I cannot say I blame him." He absently tapped a finger on top of the papers, a distant look in his eyes. Was there a touch of regret? Loss? It was impossible to say. Hojo had spent too many years learning to hide what he felt. "There's nothing I can do about the past, so I focus on the present. Why are you asking me this?"

Cid shook his head, more to himself than to anyone else. "It's gotta hurt. I think." The pilot looked like he was already in pain. "Why seek it, if you already know..."

A moment of silence, then Hojo took a step towards him. "Is there a point to this, Cid Highwind?"

A wry smile and Cid began to fidget with his packet of cigarettes. "I just wanted to know how it's going to be like..."

Hojo frowned, considering what had been said, and calculated what had not been said. A sinking feeling came over him and he exhaled. "Please tell me you're joking..."

"Joking? About what?" Cid blinked confused, fastening his cigarette packet by his flight goggles again.

"Are you telling me that your woman is pregnant?" Hojo sneered angrily. "And you left her behind? Alone?"

Cid jumped up and glared back at him. "Like it's any of your damn business!"

Hojo clenched and unclenched his hands, usually frowning upon violence, but feeling the urge to punch the blonde. "There are three creatures running free with every intent to cause harm, and you leave her unguarded? I always knew you were slow, but I did not realise you're a complete idiot!"

The pilot clenched his own hands into tight fists, ready to wring the scrawny neck. "In case you failed to notice, these guys are after Sephiroth! Ain't got nothing to do with me!"

Golden brown eyes narrowed. "Have you forgotten the Jenova cells in you, Highwind? Has it completely escaped your sil of a mind that they're after ANYONE with a connection to the Crisis!"

All colour drained from Cid Highwind's face and he suddenly felt sick. "No..." Pure terror shot through him and he fought to breathe. "Shera..."

* * *

Aeris did not know whether to cry or not. 

This morning had brought good news. Hojo had returned to help them. And Rufus would be okay again.

On the other hand, they had lost whatever hope they had to regain Zefiris. Kadaj was gone. And she was left with nothing to trade. Would she ever see Zefiris again?

The flower girl had left Sephiroth sleeping in their room. Her beloved warrior hadn't fallen asleep before dawn, and she was actually a little relieved to see him get a little rest, even if his dreams haunted him. There was no expression of peace on his face. Sorrow and anger. That was all he knew now. And Aeris wasn't even sure why she'd gone to the church. It was so foolish, but she couldn't help tormenting herself a little more. She'd been so close to getting her daughter back...

Kneeling in the flower bed, Aeris let light fingertips touch by a golden flower petal.

One moment she was alone, drowning in her misery, the next second there was someone walking towards her out of the darkness.

The sun light spilling in through the hole in the ceiling bounced off silver hair, and black leather seemed to absorb whatever light touched it. The young man she'd spoken to before sauntered over to her, a strange tenseness surrounding him, but suddenly she could only see what he was carrying. Like some kind of pet, Zefiris was tucked under his arm and was glaring sulkily up at him. Her tiny legs and arms dangling on each side of his arm. But very much alive and apparently unharmed.

Aeris jumped to her feet and ran over. "Zefiris!" Her heart was thundering frantically and her hands shook as she reached out for her daughter. The little girl cried happily out for her mother and reached out as well. One second later, Aeris was clutching her daughter close as if they'd never been apart. The flower girl laughed and shed tears at the same time, unable to hold Zefiris close enough, needing to feel that she was truly there and not some dream, until there was a weak objection from the child and Aeris forced herself to glance over at the man who was still standing there. Usually, her first instinct would have been to flee with her daughter, but something in his eyes told her that he was no threat. At least, not now. "Thank you." It was a mere whisper, but painfully honest. She had not believed that he would bring Zefiris after what had happened that night. Why return the child when he'd managed to break out his brother? Aeris feared the answer to that. Forcing a weak smile, she hoisted Zefiris slightly without taking her eyes away from the silver haired man. "I... I don't even know your name..."

"Yazoo," Yazoo replied tersely, clearly uncomfortable. "I said I would bring her. Didn't I?"

Aeris nodded, unaware of clutching her daughter protectively. "You did. Still, thank you for holding your word. Yazoo."

"Where's Unca Loz?" Zefiris asked and squirmed in vain to free herself from her mother's iron grip.

A puzzled glance at her child, Aeris glanced confused over at Yazoo. Zefiris had began talking when she was no more than 9 months, always eerily skilled before her time due to the Jenova cells, no doubt, and she hadn't said 'unca' instead of 'uncle' for over a year.

Yazoo cut a face, shifting uneasily. Darn Loz! Telling that kid he was her 'Unca Loz'... "You wont be seeing him anymore, okay?" He cleared his throat awkwardly and made a dismissive gesture to Aeris. "It's my brother." For a moment, he watched mother and child before he took a step towards them, pretending not to see Aeris' flinching away. "I'm going to ask you something!"

Aeris swallowed hard and tried a weak smile. "Okay?"

Yazoo gesticulated towards them. "You knew Mother?" He frowned insecurely. "Could you tell me about her?"

A moment of hesitation, then Aeris managed a nod. "Yes... Yes, I knew her." She eyed Yazoo warily, but her instincts told her that his intentions was not to harm them or take Zefiris from her again. So far, her instincts had not been wrong. She'd trusted them when it concerned Sephiroth, so she decided to the same when it came to Yazoo. "Do you want to sit down...?"

Yazoo shook his head. "I just want you to tell me what you know!" It was strange, but it almost felt that Mother was gazing over his shoulder and was NOT happy with what she was seeing. He didn't have much time. There would be a price to pay for this, he knew that, but the information might just be worth it...

Aeris bit her lower lip nervously then drew a deep breath. "I first heard about Jenova when I was a little girl... My parents were killed, so I lived with this wonderful woman I loved as if she would be my real mother. I didn't know I was a Cetra, or even that such beings had existed. All I knew was that the Planet would talk to me, and there were voices talking to me that no one else could hear. They were the ones who told me about the Crisis..."

* * *

"You did what!" 

Yazoo knew it was coming, but it didn't hurt any less when Kadaj's backhand hit him and snapped his face to the right. Ignoring the burn, he clenched his hands fiercly. "If we hadn't returned the brat, there is no force on this planet that could make Big Brother join us...!" He slowly gazed back at his furious younger brother. "As long as we had the kid, he would never have listened."

"Without her, we have no reason why he should listen to us!" Kadaj screamed, lashing out again.

Tasting blood, Yazoo gingerly touched his cheek as he gazed once again at Kadaj. "That brat is Sephiroth's everything.There is no enemy more dangerous than one who has nothing to lose." A provocative step towards him. "As long as we were keeping her hostage, we were the enemy to him!"

Kadaj scoffed. "And you honestly think he'll just forgive us now that the child is returned?"

Yazoo smirked and gave a little shrug. Of course he had no illusions about that Sephiroth would stop chasing them. They had committed a horrible crime and he would not rest until he'd punished them himself. He remembered Aeris' almost apologetic look as she backed away with her daughter, explaining that there was no way she could stop Sephiroth from hunting them. Yazoo had merely replied that at least Aeris would stop targeting them.

Shaking his head, Kadaj backed away without taking his eyes off the insolent face. "If I didn't know better, Yazoo, I'd say you'd betrayed us."

Loz flinched where he stood staring at the ground. Ever since Kadaj had noticed Yazoo was gone with Zefiris, he'd basically tried to make himself as invisible as possible. He hated when they fought. He hated whenever Kadaj raised his voice, or when Yazoo's eyes got that mean look. He hated it!

Yazoo tilted his head, smirking again. "My loyalty is with Mother, Kadaj. You shouldn't doubt that." He still had to digest everything the half-Cetra had told him and decide for himself whether it was the truth or not. Mother had always told them what to do, but Yazoo had wondered sometimes why she didn't tell them the reason behind her decisions. He always did what Kadaj ordered him to. Simple as that. But his mind was always picking up details he didn't want to see. Putting together pieces of a picture he refused to believe. Sometimes, as he would tilt his head and watch Kadaj rant, he wondered if they were all insane or just his little brother.

Kadaj sneered a grin, looking ready to pull his sword and punish Yazoo himself, but merely gazed over at the silent party of the three. "Loz!"

Starting slightly, Loz slowly gazed up at him. "What?"

"Our brother here seems to think he knows best," Kadaj drawled, still resting his glare on Yazoo. "Claims that he did it to help us. I think he messed up. Don't you?"

Loz didn't reply. He couldn't honestly mean that he thought Loz should take sides? They were a family! There was only one side! Their side!

Kadaj's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Loz! If Yazoo should ever decide to betray us again... I want you to kill him!"

This time, both Loz and Yazoo started. First glancing at each other, then over at Kadaj again. It had always been them against the world. They took care of each other. They protected and helped each other. They were brothers!

"Kadaj, I..." Loz began helplessly, feeling sick with worry. He knew Kadaj's word was law, as Mother spoke to him and not them, but he couldn't be serious!

Kadaj glared over at the taller man. "Kill him, Loz! If he EVER goes against my word again!"

As the youngest brother stomped away, Loz and Yazoo was left in a deafening silence. Neither sure how to deal with just had happened. Finally Yazoo glanced over at Loz and saw the tears glimmering in his eyes. "For Pete's... Loz, don't you dare cry!"

Sniffling, Loz shrugged.

Yazoo sighed and touched his flamed cheek again. "Don't worry about it, ok? It's not like we got a stock of kidnapped Sephiroth kids, so I'm going to behave."

Loz glanced anxiously over at him. "I've never seen Kadaj this angry before..."

"Me neither," Yazoo admitted silently. He wondered if it was the work of Mother, or the eerie demon who seemed to hover constantly by Kadaj's side.

Hesitating, Loz then shuffled over to stand by Yazoo's side. "Hey, Yazoo...?"

Yazoo glanced wearily over at him. "What?"

Loz gave a careful smile with a curious look. "What was Aeris like?"

Blinking surprised, the younger brother gazed quickly towards the horizon. "What she was like?" He tilted his head slightly. "Dangerous."

* * *

_AN; I can't believe I actually managed to finish this tonight! Yay for me! __As much as I would love to keepup my old weekly update, I fear it cannot be done at the moment, so I hope you'll forgive me my lateness. The only promise I can give you is that the updates will come. This story will not be discontinued. I just need a little prodding and reminding sometimes! A special thanks to Tirnam'Bas for the inspiration and the quote of the most dangerous enemy being the one with nothing to lose._

_On a side note, for the ones wondering, Chaos made a deal with Lucrecia in my other fic, Unforgivable Sinner, and she broke it knowing that the demon was more useful to her in captivity._


	6. A nocturnal rainbow

**6. A Nocturnal Rainbow**

* * *

_This chapter is dedicated to Tishannia, Selunchen123, Kit Thespian, turtlerad17, Megami Murasaki, Unrealistic and Lady Nephenee Ranulf. _

* * *

Sephiroth was dreaming.

In his dream he was lying on a bed. It was the room he shared with Aeris when they visited the ShinRa Tower.

He gazed curiously over at the door as it opened, and the flower girl entered with their daughter in her arms. A drowsy smile on his face. They were so beautiful. His family. His Aeris and Zefiris that was looking at him as well. So real. So close.

Sephiroth blinked.

Zefiris laughed.

That's when the silver haired man realised that he was in fact awake, not dreaming, and that this daughter was really there!

Aeris giggled softly as well when Sephiroth leaped up from the bed and was over by them in a heart beat. "Sephiroth, we got her back!"

Taking the child over into his arms, Sephiroth had to stare. Study. Make sure his child was unharmed. But the little girl merely laughed and called out for him. Yet, he had to stare at her while holding her on rigid arms for two heartbeats, and only then could he hug her close. It was true. It was no dream. She was really there!

Zefiris allowed the fierce hug and staring for a little while, then started squirming. "Daddy, did you bring my books?"

Shaking his head with a faint smile, Sephiroth released his grip a little and kept gazing at his silver haired daughter. "No, baby. I'm sorry. I forgot them." At least it seemed more like Zefiris had been on a summer camp for a few days, and not having been violently kidnapped by homicidal lunatics. "I've missed you so much!"

Aeris felt the pain in her heart as she realised that Sephiroth had suffered every ounce as much as she had. "Well, our girl is home now."

Zefiris glanced around with a semi-bored look on her face. "Yazoo is not coming?"

Her eyes flickered nervously, but Aeris managed a faint smile. "No... He had to go home." She reached out and caressed her daughter's hair. "Like you're home now."

"Can Unca Loz come play with me tomorrow?" Zefiris asked hopefully, glancing from her mother to her father.

Sephiroth sent Aeris a quizzical frown.

Clearing her throat, the flower girl tried to form her words delicately to both her daughter and Sephiroth. "No... I don't think so..." She drew a slow breath. "Uncle Loz is going to be a bit... busy now."

Zefiris pouted. "Did Yazoo say that? He doesn't like me. That's why!"

Aeris shook her head. "That's not true. Yazoo likes you very much, baby. It's just that..."

"Kadaj always makes them work all the time," Zefiris whispered. Her voice sounded almost sad. "Unca Loz is scared of him..." She then glanced directly into Sephiroth's eyes. "I'm not scared of Kadaj, Daddy. I think he's just lonely. Sometimes, he even cries in the night. When he thinks no one can hear him. But I did."

Sephiroth didn't reply, but slowly glanced over at Aeris. She only met his gaze with an anxious look. He shouldn't be surprised though. Aeris always felt sorry for everyone. Including someone like him. But that didn't change the fact that these creatures kidnapped his child.

Two hours later, Sephiroth was watching his daughter sleeping. He heard Aeris approaching, but didn't take his eyes of the child.

There was a moment of silence.

Finally Aeris spoke. "What are you going to do now...?"

Sephiroth frowned slightly. "Find them. And kill them."

Aeris flinched, swallowed hard and braced herself. "They brought her back."

Turning to face her, Sephiroth failed to hide a flicker of anger. "They, or was it Yazoo?"

"Does it matter?" Aeris asked softly, taking his hand. "We have her back. Now I don't want to risk losing you!"

The silver haired warrior hesitated, then shook his head. "If I don't do anything, they will be back. We both know that."

Aeris bit her lower lip, torn between her heart and her darker side. "Does everything always have to end in bloodshed?"

Sephiroth gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Maybe one day it won't..."

* * *

Shera absently placed the final cup on the shelve and closed the door. Finally.

Several of the neighbour ladies had more or less invited themselves to tea as they discovered that she was alone, as the Captain was on a mission, and Shera was helpless to stop the invasion. The last four hours had been about serving them tea and listening to them telling her that the Captain shouldn't leave a woman in her condition alone in such a dangerous time! Shera was dangerously close to fetching one of Cid's weapons and chasing them out when they'd suddenly decided to leave themselves!

Now she had spent ages cleaning up the mess.

It wasn't that she minded the work. After all, Shera was used to doing all the house work and found it kind of relaxing, but ever since she discovered her condition, if you will, things had been different.

He had been different.

When she told him, Shera had been prepared for the draining of colour in his face. She was anything but surprised when the cigarette fell from his lips. And was only mildly worried when he keeled over in a dead faint.

What she hadn't foreseen was the odd look in his eyes when he woke up. Or the estranged behavior that followed.

Shera had actually, foolishly enough, thought he'd be happy.

Once the news had settled for a while.

Well, they didn't get more settled than this, and the Captain couldn't have been further away from her.

He never once said that he didn't want the child, he just built this wall between them. That was almost worse.

Shera swallowed down the tears and slowly folded the dish towel.

Cid Highwind was more distant to her now than he'd ever been. He wouldn't even cuss at her. Who would have thought she'd miss that!

Lost in her gloomy thoughts, Shera failed to see the shadow outside the window.

She didn't hear the footsteps approaching.

And when the door slammed open, it was too late!

A figure raced towards her and hands reached out. Fingers locking around her arm.

Screaming, Shera grabbed a hold of the dish towel and started whipping it at her attacker. Instantly rewarded with a yelp and several curse words that would make a sailor blush. She just realised what she done when the towel was yanked away from her and blue eyes was glaring at her. "C-Captain?"

Cid stared flustered at her, his relief at finding her unharmed slightly tainted by anger at being attacked by his wife in his own frigging home! "Yeah, it's me, woman! What's wrong with you!"

"I didn't know... You just..." Shera stuttered, feeling her face turn crimson under a violent blush. "I'm s-sorry!"

Releasing her, Cid huffed annoyed. "You'd better be!" He corrected his unruly hair. "Some kinda welcome! Pfft! And here I thought you'd be glad to see me!"

Shera started, instantly taking hold of his shirt and staring wide eyed at him. "But I am! I am, Captain! Welcome home! Tea? You want tea? I'll just..." She released him to aim for the kettle and the sink when his hand locked around her arm again. Blinking puzzled, she glanced back at him.

Cid's eyes flickered nervously and there was a strange look in his eyes. "Hey, uhm, Shera... You're ok, right?"

Her confusion didn't lessen and she blinked again. "Ok...? I guess... What do you...?" Then she realised and gazed down at the floor. The baby. "Yes, Cid. I'm ok."

The pilot exhaled and seemed to relax a little before he puffed up again. "Well, woman, what are you waiting for? Pack your bags!"

Shera wondered if she was ever going to have a different expression than one of confusion on her face. "Pack my bags...?"

Nodding, Cid started dragging her towards their room. "Yeah, yer butt is coming with me to Midgar. This place ain't safe."

"Not safe?" Shera obediently followed him. "From what...?"

The blonde sighed and didn't meet her eyes. "I'll explain on the way. Just pack your damn bags, woman."

* * *

Rufus smiled faintly in his sleep.

The doctors had insisted on keeping him there for observation for a little while, and Tifa had stared him into agreeing. Truth be told, he felt a little unwell, so he only had to act a little reluctant before accepting to stay in the hospital wing. And he didn't regret it now as a female hand was trailing his features in the most affectionate caress. It wasn't until several seconds had passed that he realised those long nails could not belong to Tifa, and the familiar scent of alluring perfume.

Scarlet returned the faint smile when Rufus' hand lifted and took a gentle hold around her wrist and he murmured her name without opening his eyes. "I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner."

Rufus finally gazed at her and managed a faint shrug. "I'm just surprised that you came at all."

Slowly pulling free from his grip, Scarlet folded her hands awkwardly in her lap where she was sitting on a chair by his bed. "I wasn't sure myself." She turned her face away, pretending to look out the window. "How are you feeling, Sir?"

"Don't." Rufus frowned slightly as he pierced her with his blue gaze.

A second faint smile, Scarlet glanced at him again. "Your wife wouldn't approve of me calling you anything else."

Sighing, Rufus considered his words before he spoke. "Listen, Scarlet. We've been friends for years." Possibly a bit more than friends, they both knew it, but that had to change now that Tifa was there. "I don't want to lose your friendship. You're one of the most intelligent people here, Scarlet. I need you on my side."

The blonde woman nodded. "I know." She gave a true smile this time. "I got your back, Rufus. You know you can trust me on that."

Rufus nodded as well. Then his trademark smirk returned as he studied her. "Pants and a shirt, Scarlet? Are you closing down the show?"

Huffing, Scarlet studied a crimson nail. "Reeve. He doesn't like when other men stare." She rolled her eyes. "He's pretty stupid for a smart guy at times..."

A silent laugh and Rufus shrugged. "Never seen you willing to sacrifice anything for a man, Scarlet."

The blonde didn't reply, but they both knew what couldn't be said. That she would have given up everything for Rufus. Things like that had to be in the past now. Scarlet didn't care any less for Reeve, but it was hard to just stop after living for someone for so many years.

A brief silence was suddenly interrupted by a strange song.

A cheerful, really upbeat song with a chocobo wark in there somewhere.

It took Rufus several warks before he realised it was the phone Kadaj had left him. He quickly reached out and pressed the button to answer. "Yes?"

"Mr. President." Kadaj's voice. "I hope I didn't wake you up?"

Rufus mouthed the name to Scarlet, who frowned thoughtfully, before focusing on the phone again. "I'll survive. What do you want?"

"Ah, I hope you're still not sour for my little escape? It was fun being your guest, but I had things to do! Mother had a mission for me!"

Rolling his eyes, Rufus tried to keep the impatience out of his voice. "Thrilling, I'm sure. Once again, what do you want?"

Kadaj laughed. "Always straight to business. No fun! Alright, Mr. President, I'll tell you what I want. I want Big Brother to join our Reunion. But I fear you cannot help me with that. I will have to persuade him myself. What I want from you is... Hojo."

Rufus had been prepared for just about anything, but that. "What?"

"Mother says Hojo has returned from the Promised Land. That he is currently in the ShinRa Tower. Isn't that so?" Kadaj was sounding too smug now!

Struggling to regain his cool, Rufus drew a deep breath. "If you think I'm going to just hand Hojo over to you guys, you got to be even crazier than I thought!"

"Nownow, Mr. President," Kadaj tutted and laughed again. "I just want to talk to him. Think it over. I'll call again."

Rufus stared at the phone as the signal went dead. "Hojo...?"

"What?" Scarlet got up and stared confused at him. "He asked for Hojo?"

Nodding, Rufus slowly put the phone away. On their side, Hojo was a powerful ally that might give them their victory. But what if Jenova regained power over the scientist? Was Hojo strong enough to withstand the alien this time, where he'd failed the previous time? Was it worth the risk? Hojo could get them all killed... If he wanted to.

* * *

Hojo adjusted the microscope slightly. Interesting.

"Didn't you hear me?" Yuffie jumped eagerly behind him, ready to do cartwheels of joy. "Zefiris is back! Aeris and Sephiroth got their kid back!"

"I heard you," Hojo declared absently as he made a few notes. "I'm cheering on the inside. Really."

Deflating, Yuffie merely glared at the scientist. "Why don't I believe you...?"

Hojo fought away an irritated sigh. "I don't know. Because you're unable to use your brain enough to come up with a reason?" He was starting to miss the old days, when everyone feared and hated him. At least they left him alone then! These days, his lab was continuously run down with people wanting to chat. Hojo did not chat.

Yuffie instantly started punching at the air. "Hey! I sure am capable of kicking your ass!"

Turning to glare at her, Hojo removed his glasses to allow his odd eyes pierce her for real. "Before you manage to do so, I will have sedated you, stuffed you in a box and stored you in a plane set for a world journey!"

Paling, Yuffie let her arms sink. "Now you're just being plain mean." The thought of weeks, perhaps months, caught in a box on a plane made her stomach queazy already!

"I never stopped," Hojo muttered and turned back to his work. "If you people would be so kind as to remember that."

As the young ninja stomped out, she nearly walked straight into a certain red haired Turk, and they exchanged a few lines of insults, before said Turk turned to Hojo. "Hey, Rufus wants to talk to you."

Hojo sighed this time. "I heard about the child's return. I would prefer to be left alone with my work."

Reno crossed his arms and titled his head. "Ain't the reason why he wanna talk to you." He merely grinned at the quizzical look the scientist sent him. "Better go talk to him and find out, yo?"

Hojo glared.

Reno grinned.

Resigning, Hojo put his glasses back on and shuffled out of the room. "How he expects me to get any work done with all these interruptions is beyond me..."

"And here I thought you were some kinda genius," Reno declared with his constant smile. The look Hojo sent him was the first thing ever to make that smile tremble ever so lightly, but he was saved as they reached the elevator. "The President said it wouldn't take too long."

Hojo made a grumbling sound, but continued until he entered the hospital room where the young ShinRa was waiting for him. Pale, but focused, Rufus had a delicately young look on his face. Tifa, by his side, even more so. "Your lackey said you demanded my presence?"

Rufus chuckled slightly, lowering the reports Tifa had just brought to him and he noticed her tense beside him. "I see I caught you in one of your foul moods, Doc. But I'm afraid it can't be helped. I got a problem. You."

"Me?" For once, Hojo blinked confused. What he done now? "Care to illuminate your statement further?"

"When Kadaj escaped, he left a phone behind." Rufus motioned towards the small contraption on the nightstand. "I just spoke to him."

Hojo folded his hands behind his back. "Very fascinating indeed, but I fail to see how it connects with me."

Rufus' eyes narrowed slightly as they locked on the scientist. "He wants to talk to you."

Silence. Hojo's face became unreadable and he was frozen for several seconds. It was clearly unexpected for him as well.

"The question is what I'm going to do with that request," Rufus pressed on. "I have no reason to give Kadaj anything he asks of me."

"But it would give you a chance to gather more information, at worst," Hojo drawled absently. "So why do you hesitate?"

Rufus tilted his head. "Because it would place you within Jenova's reach." He saw the dark haired man trying to hide his flinch as the name was spoken. "She got to you once."

Hojo turned his face away, pretending not to see Rufus staring at him or the worried look on Tifa's face. Jenova. The best and the worst he'd ever experienced in his life. But he'd sworn to help his son! Besides, the connection had between him and Jenova had been broken after the last fight against AVALANCHE years ago.

So why did he feel a tingle of fear and excitement at the mere thought of going near the Crisis again...?

* * *

Hojo. Chaos remembered that name. It was a name connected with deep hatred and the need for blood. The demon gazed over at the silver haired boy staring at the horizon. _"Why do you seek Hojo? He has little or no influence on Sephiroth."_

Kadaj nodded. "True. But Mother wishes for him to join us." He smiled faintly. "If it hadn't been for Hojo, Mother would not have had Sephiroth."

_"You do not need the ShinRa whelp's permission to get a hold of Hojo."_ Chaos' eyes flared dangerously. _"We could merely fetch him. Cut our way though Midgar. Bathe in the blood of the innocent!"_

The faint smile remained on Kadaj's face as he shook his head. "Even we cannot defeat both the ShinRa army and Big Brother, friend. We just have to have a little patience. Something tells me this is a golden opportunity that Rufus ShinRa would hate to miss out on. And even if he decides against it, Sephiroth will bring his father to us, just for a chance to fight me and my brothers. Either way, Hojo will soon be joining the party!"

Chaos growled. It could feel Vincent Valentine stir within and the magic of the true name was barely able to subdue the former Turk. Clearly, Chaos' host was not happy with the arrangement. _"As long as you don't forget about our deal, little one."_

Kadaj tensed slightly at the clear threat underneath the smooth statement. "Don't worry, demon. I will keep my word. You will never have to return to Valentine's gloomy mind again. Mother will award you for your help."

_"Forgive me if I find your mere word a little unsatisfactory. Lies are also words."_ Chaos spread it's wings and leaped up into the air. Sending Kadaj a final look of unspoken threats, the demon left the young man. Probably off to kill something. It seemed like something a demon would do.

"He's not family," Loz declared, finally daring to approach his younger brother now that the scary creature was gone. "Why do we need his help, Kadaj?"

Shaking his head, Kadaj sighed. "Big Brother seems set on spilling blood. I'm hoping it will be his own or that demon's." He tried a smile. "You shouldn't worry so much, Loz. I said I would take care of everything, didn't I?"

The taller of the two hesitated before he managed to meet Kadaj's gaze. "You did. But you and Yazoo... I hate it when you fight!"

Kadaj sighed and glanced over at the last brother, busy tinkering on his motorcycle. "I know, Loz... I hate fighting with him too... But Mother told me that the traitors would try to trick Yazoo. I'm just trying to help him." It wasn't entirely true. Mother had whispered to Kadaj that Yazoo was weak. How he could be the downfall of them all. That Kadaj should just deal with Yazoo himself while the older brother was sleeping. Either that, or Yazoo would betray them. Kadaj had refused. He still refused. Even when Mother's words had come true; Yazoo had returned the child and betrayed them, Kadaj could not bring himself to harm his own brother.

Instead, Loz had been ordered to kill Yazoo if he ever betrayed them again.

Yazoo was a cold killer, but everyone had a weakness and his weakness was his brothers. As much as the two bickered, Yazoo and Loz were brothers.

Loz glanced over at Yazoo as well. "We'll both help him then! I know he wont do anything stupid again, Kadaj! I know he wont! He feels really sorry for what he did! You have to tell Mother that! She musn't be angry with him!" The thought of a Reunion without Yazoo was just wrong!

Kadaj nodded and managed a true smile this time. "I will tell her." He then placed a hand on his older brother's shoulder. "You shouldn't worry so much, Loz."

"I miss Zefy," Loz complained softly, poking the tip of his boot into the ground.

Wondering for a moment what he was talking about, Kadaj finally realised that it was a nickname for the child they'd borrowed. "I'm sure she misses you too, Loz. It was a silly mistake of Yazoo to take her away. It really made Mother angry too, you know."

Loz nodded, falling silent.

Kadaj's gaze rested on the last brother, wondering what the real reason was behind Yazoo's betrayal. It was always difficult to guess what Yazoo was thinking. He was always the quiet one. He would just watch, tilt his head, and kill if needed. Whatever was going on behind those reptile eyes, it was well hidden. Even Mother seemed worried now.

Yazoo was unpredictable.

It would get someone killed. The only question was who it would be...

* * *

Aeris was dreaming.

In her dream, Hojo was talking to a young man. Kadaj.

Frowning, she was watching them talk, unable to hear the actual words spoken. There was something wrong.

That's when she noticed the shadows moving. The shadows taking form.

Jenova.

And above them all, the demon known as Chaos was glaring directly at her.

The flower girl tried to scream. No sound. She tried to run. Impossible.

_"Jenova seeks to possess Hojo again. She needs his help to regain control over Sephiroth."_

Aeris forced herself to stop panicking as the voice spoke to her. It was a gentle voice. Familiar. She knew that voice.

The horrible nightmare slowly faded out and two people appeared in the darkness in front of her. A woman and a man. The woman she'd met once in the Lifestream, and the man she'd seen on video tapes once. Her parents.

Ifalna took a step towards her, continuing her effort to reach her daughter. _"You're not safe, Aeris. You and the baby."_

_"You have to come to the Lost Capital,"_ Gast explained softly, his eyes filled with the bitter-sweet pain of seeing his child again. _"We can help you."_

Aeris shook her head slowly, confusion tainted with strange suspicion. The Cetra had made it pretty clear that they wanted no more to do with her.

Gast smiled faintly. _"I know you're confused, Aeris. But you have to trust us."_

_"Come to the Lost City and bring Zefiris," _Ifalna pleaded._ "Before it's too late."_

Gazing over to where Kadaj and Hojo had vanished, Aeris frowned quizzically.

Gast glanced over as well. _"There's nothing we can do for Hojo."_

Nothing they could be bothered to do, Aeris thought bitterly. She clenched her jaw hard, feeling how much everything has changed since she was living in Midgar with the woman she'd loved enough to be her true mother. Now Aeris knew the Cetra was just as capable of using and exploiting her as Jenova did to her own minions. Why should she trust them?

_"Because we're your parents, and we'd never do anything to harm you," _Ifalna tried pleading again_. "Please, daughter of mine. Trust me. We can help you."_

Gast took Ifalna's hand in a gesture of comfort, but didn't take his eyes off Aeris._ "Our time is up. We will be waiting at the Lost Capital, Aeris. The decision is yours."_

Waking with a start, Aeris glanced around the room. She saw her daughter near by. Sephiroth asleep by her side.

Within ten minutes, she had managed to wake up the silver haired man and gathered everyone else at the ShinRa conference room, explaining her dream. Including that she wanted Hojo to join them to the Lost Capital, which the scientist was quick to fiercely refuse.

As the arguments hailed behind him, Cid found his attention straying and started looking at the pictures on the wall. It wasn't his decision to make, so why bother listening, right? His semi-bored state came to a screeching halt when he recognized someone on a picture. Recognising turned to laughed within seconds, and he yanked down the picture. "Hey, ya'll gonna love this! Take a look!" And so the pilot handed the picture over to Rufus. "That's who I think it is, yeah?"

A smile tugged at the corner of Rufus' lips. "Yes... That's Hojo, alright..." A very young Hojo scowling at the camera beside his co-workers at ShinRa Inc. "I think it's from when he just arrived here..." The young president was losing his battle against a laugh. "Look at that baby face!"

Hojo sputtered angrily as the picture was handed around, everyone snickering at the 16 year old Hojo, until Sephiroth himself started guffawing. Golden brown eyes narrowed. "So you think that's funny, do you?" Hojo's fury reached new heights as Sephiroth nodded gleefully, and he reached inside his coat to pull out something. A picture. "Let's see if this is as funny, Sephiroth..."

Aeris accepted the picture handed to her, and hummed softly before starting to giggle. Rufus leaned over and snuck a glance, before starting to snicker as well. Soon everyone was snickering and laughing at the new picture. This one obviously even more funny than teenage Hojo.

Finally Sephiroth slowly inched over with a curious frown, that soon turned to dread as he saw the picture of himself. As a child. In diapers. Happily grinning to the photographer. Reptile eyes glared murder. "You realise this means war, old man?"

Aeris reclaimed the picture from the hysterically laughing Yuffie, stroking a finger over the image. "Hojo, this was in the Jenova files, right? The ones you destroyed?"

Hojo refused to break the staring contest he was currently having with Sephiroth. "That's correct."

A brief smile, then Aeris glanced over at him. "Why didn't you destroy this? Why keep a picture of Sephiroth?"

Hojo started and glanced over at her, stuttering something. What was he supposed to say? That for one moment, he'd wanted something from Sephiroth's childhood. If he couldn't remember it all, then at least he could have a picture of his son. It was a father's right! But... Hojo couldn't say that. He didn't have any right. The scientist cleared his throat as he fought against a light blush crawling over his cheekbones .The flower girl had cornered him again. "I think we should just leave for the Lost City at once..."

Aeris giggled softly, not objecting when Hojo snatched the picture back, and pretended not to see the puzzled look on Sephiroth's face. "Alrighty then..."

* * *

_AN; Once again, I just gotta thank you all for your patience. For the ones still continuing to read this, and to the ones leaving the comments that improves and inspires this story!_


	7. Darkness closing in

**7. Darkness closing in...**

* * *

_AN; This chapter was sponsored by Tishanna, Lady Nephenee Ranulf, Tirnam'Bas, turtlerad17, Kit Thespian, Emerald drake, Shinz and Megami Murasaki!_

* * *

Shera smiled awkwardly to the nurse who took the final blood sample, folding her hands in her lap after the cotton was pressed to the wound in her arm. Cid had withheld most of the information when he'd somewhat explained why she had to come to Midgar, but she knew it had something to do with the Jenova cells in his body. The virus that Hojo had injected into him to save him from the virus created by Jinrei.

The door was slammed open and the pilot she'd just been thinking about came stomping into the room. He wouldn't meet her eyes as he halted beside her. He hadn't met her eyes for weeks now. Not for real. "I gotta take the gang to the creepy place where Sephiroth tends to ram a sword through Aeris..."

Blinking surprised, Shera tried to contain her worry. "The Cetra Capital? Why?"

"Dunnow." Cid crossed his arms tensely. "Flower girl had some dream, apparently. I'm just the pilot. I fly where they tell me."

The brunette fought against the urge to reach out and touch his arm. "I see..." Despite that he was standing right beside her, within reach, it felt like the Captain was miles away. "Please be careful, Captain..."

Cid exhaled sharply and tensed even worse. "Did they... The test...?"

Shera shook her head. "They just took the final blood sample now. The results wouldn't be clear until tomorrow. At best." She hesitated. "Cid...?"

He made a grumbling sound.

"What's really going on? Why am I here?" Shera stared at her fingers nervously fidgeting with each other. "I know you said Hojo wanted to make sure I was alright, but..."

Cid swallowed hard. Didn't reply.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Shera sighed. She hadn't really expected an answer either. Just as she opened her eyes again, Shera saw Cid's hand gently place itself over both of hers. She trembled weakly, so endlessly grateful for the simple touch.

"The men who took Zefiris... They're after anyone with Jenova cells..." Cid's voice was unusually calm. Almost gentle. "Hojo said that because of the cells in me, that you... That the... He just wanted to make sure that you ain't got any of Jenova in you, okay?"

Shera smiled faintly, nodding, but not meeting his eyes. She knew if she raised her gaze, he would retreat. Like he saw something in her eyes that wasn't there. Something that frightened him. "Thank you..."

A careful squeeze of her hands. "Ya always worry too much, Shera..." Cid reached out his free hand and stroke a brown lock of her hair behind her ear with a feather like touch.

Laughing softly, Shera leaned against his touch. "I know..." She couldn't get herself to point out the fact that she had to worry that much, simply because he never worried enough! "Will you be gone long?"

"Doubt it," Cid replied in a sigh. "Even if there is something in Aeris' dream, it can't take too long. Not like we're going on a social visit."

"And... You will be careful, right?" Shera turned her hands and clutched his lone hand covering them. "Right, Captain?"

Cid nodded, finding it almost impossible to speak. "Of course. Ain't nothing big and bad enough to finish of me, ya know!"

Shera knew of several things capable of taking her Cid away from her forever, but she feared most that it was her own condition that was the most worthy candidate of them all. How was it possible that things had turned out like this? Why couldn't she just ask him to talk to her? Really talk to her. And why couldn't he just tell her, without her having to ask? She was repeatedly accused of being intelligent, but this was beyond her. The answers was within Cid Highwind, and it didn't look like he was going to give them to her. Instead, they were both slowly suffocating. "I just... You will come back to me, right?" There was a painfully frail vulnerability to her voice.

The pilot flinched visibly and he failed at a smile. "If I ever decide to run off on ya, it wont be with Sephiroth and Hojo, ok? You just try to relax and I'll be back soon."

Shera finally gazed over at him, as the blonde was just about running out of the room. Her vision was blurry due to the tears welling up, but she could easily see the tension radiating from Cid. It was like he couldn't get away from her fast enough. It hurt so much to see him like this! Why wouldn't he let her help him?

Cid hastily stomped down the hallway, clenching and unclenching his fists as he tried to calm his breathing. It was stupid! Him getting all messed up like this... It was stupid! Shaking his head, the pilot tried to focus on the mission in front of him. The Highwind was waiting, ready to bring him home to the sky.

* * *

The Lost City was tranquil as always, covered in the eerie light of pureness. The abandoned buildings gazing emptily at the intruders stepping out of the Highwind that had just landed. The people exiting the airship was gazing around with mystified awe, with only Sephiroth and Hojo showing signs of discomfort at their whereabouts. 

Holding Zefiris close, Aeris was the first to approach the crystal clear water and she watched impassively as the light suddenly began to flicker. Ignoring the small crowd gathering behind her, the flower girl kept her eyes on the shapes appearing on the water. Her parents.

Gasping softly, Ifalna took a step towards them, aching to see her grandchild for the first time. "You brought her...!"

Aeris turned slightly, shielding the child with her own body. "Don't." She saw the confusion on both her parents faces, but forced her heart to remain indifferent. "I want you to answer my questions..."

"But, baby, I..." Ifalna began, but Gast placed a hand on her shoulder to silence her. The previous scientist had scanned the people following his daughter, but was now focusing on the half-Cetra with a signal for her to ask away.

Swallowing hard, Aeris turned to face them completely again. "First, I need to know... They got Vincent with them, don't they?" She heard the others startled reactions, but didn't flinch. "I saw... Chaos. In my dream. It's free, isn't it?"

Gast nodded. "It's true. Jenova's creation found the demon's true name. It obeys him now."

Aeris closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again. "What does Kadaj want with Hojo?"

Ifalna tried to speak, but Gast interfered again. "We don't know." A brief glance at the man in question, who was nothing less than glaring hatefully at the two specters. "But I suspect that she is out to recruit the one who accomplished so much in her name. Hojo is the one who has served her better than anyone else."

"Don't you DARE judge me," Hojo's voice suddenly sneered with so much hatred that it made Aeris start away from him as he stepped up beside her. "Don't you dare, you cowardly bastard!" His eyes was now almost pure gold, seething with fury. "You have no right, Gast. Not you." There was baring of teeth more than a smile. "You had no trouble experimenting on my child, did you? You preformed all those tests on my child, easing your guilt with kind words to him, but when your Cetra came to expect your own child... You ran."

Gast lifted his chin slightly, eyes flickering with pain. "There was nothing I could do for Sephiroth. You gave him to our... to ShinRa's research. It was your choice. Not mine."

Chuckling a venomous laugh, Hojo shook his head. "Is that what you keep telling yourself?" His eyes narrowed. "You knew. YOU KNEW!" The accusation was screamed loud enough for it to echo several times, hammering the anger at Gast as Hojo forced himself calm again. "You knew something was wrong. With me. With Lucrecia. But you didn't do anything. Nothing! You just looked away." Now there was clear disgust in Hojo's eyes. "You were good at that, I remember. You were the expert at looking the other way. But then... Ifalna told you about her being pregnant. And there was no way you were going to experiment on YOUR child, right?" He clutched his hands into tight fists, failing to see Sephiroth gazing with disbelief at the Gast he'd always worshipped. "Because YOUR child... She was special. She was innocent."

Stuttering something, Gast failed to meet both Sephiroth's and Aeris' eyes. "I couldn't... It wasn't..."

"Like Sephiroth wasn't innocent? Like he had done something to deserve your lack of protecting him as well?" Hojo persisted, trembling with the urge to rip the ghostly image of his previous mentor to pieces. "Jenova poisoned me and Lucrecia. And you let it happen. You just looked the other way." A choked laugh. "No wonder I had to hunt you down and shoot you like the fiend you are!" Eerie eyes shot over to glare at Ifalna. "And you...! You can just pity someone who actually give a damn!"

Ifalna managed a faint smile, wrapping her arms around herself. "I remember the last time I saw you..."

Hojo tensed even worse, just about growling. "Shut up."

"You thought I wouldn't remember?" Ifalna tilted her head slightly, her kind eyes resting gently on him. "I was dying, but I remember..."

"Shut up, I said!" Hojo took a step away.

The female specter came a little closer, her smile never fading. "I remember how you left the door unlocked to my cell, Hojo... I remember how you let me escape."

* * *

A throbbing head ache was threatening to make Hojo pass out, so he clutched his head hard. He remembered too. In a moment of weakness, a moment of sanity, he'd given her the chance to escape. Given her the chance to make sure that her child didn't suffer the same fate as his. It was one of the few memories he had from back then. "Then you remember a dream. Like I would let my precious specimen go? Heh, I must have miscalculated the drugs they used on you!" Hojo turned away, feeling so tired by now that he could simply collapse into a heap of anger issues. "You called your offspring here. Don't waste her time." 

Almost dizzy by what had been revealed, Aeris finally managed to take her eyes away from Hojo and sent her father a horrified look. She was supposed to have shared Sephiroth's fate? Her father had tried to save her, but abandoned the silver haired child to his fate? The only reason for her freedom, and Sephiroth's horror of a childhood, was Gast's DNA in her? "I don't..."

Gast came closer as well, desperate to remove that look from his daughters face. "Aeris, please... You have to understand...!"

Aeris shook her head. "No..." She clutched Zefiris close again. "Why did you call me here? Why did you tell me to bring Zefiris?"

"Baby, we're your parents," Ifalna said in a soft voice. "We love you!"

"I love you too," Aeris whispered and took a step away. "But I don't trust you...!"

A moment of silence, then Gast forced himself to speak. "Jenova is gathering the cells she left in this world. Your last battle injured her to the brink of death, so she needs to gather her cells. Everyone having the Jenova cells within them is open targets for retrieval." He paused briefly. "That includes you, Aeris, and Zefiris."

"We asked you to come here so we could help you," Ifalna explained. "The Cetra cells within your body is capable of defeating the Jenova cells with a little help from us."

Aeris frowned slightly. "Can't you do that with everyone?"

"Sadly, the Cetra cells do not function like the Jenova virus," Gast declared silently and gazed down. "The human body would only reject any Cetra cells, while the Jenova virus will mutate to infect the host. You and Zefiris have dormant Cetra cells in you. If we activate them, they will destroy the Jenova cells."

Glancing over at Sephiroth and Cid, Aeris blinked confused. "But there has to be some way to remove the Jenova cells from them as well?"

"I'm sorry, baby," Ifalna gazed down as well. "We've never been able to find a cure for the Jenova virus. The mutations only end when the body ceases to function."

"I don't believe that!" Aeris exclaimed, feeling her frustration tear at her. "There has to be some way...!" Her rant was interrupted as a hand landed gently on her shoulder and she gazed hastily over, only to meet Sephiroth's eerily calm eyes.

Giving a faint smile, the silver haired man nodded towards the lake. "Let them do their thing." He didn't let her object a second time. "We'll deal with what to do with us mere mortals later, but this way will make sure that at least you and Zefy are safe."

At that moment, Aeris wanted to slap Sephiroth for merely thinking about her and their daughter, using logic against her, and not caring that she would die anyway if anything happened to him. Her shoulders slumped in defeat, and the flower girl nodded. "For Zefiris' sake..."

Everyone watched as Aeris slowly waded into the lake, still holding her daughter close, and Ifalna moved over to whisper a few words to the half-Cetra. The reply seemed to sadden the female specter, and a moment later; Aeris returned to the people waiting for her. She wouldn't meet Sephiroth's eyes or glance back at the lone figure of her father. "Let's go."

"That's it?" Rufus asked, having almost expected a light from above or some chanting at least!

"That's it." Aeris declared quietly, walking towards the airship. "We'd better return to Midgar."

Cid opened his mouth to demand an explanation, but Sephiroth shook his head at the pilot, then followed the flower girl. He knew Aeris had hoped there would be a cure for them all here in the Cetra capital, instead she had received a truth about her father that she'd been happier not knowing and confirmation that the Cetra truly only cared for their own. Sephiroth could feel how the usually so optimistic Aeris was now heavily weighed down by dark thoughts. Then the world began to twist and turn in front of him.

Barret reached out his human arm when Sephiroth suddenly stumbled, and a good grip on his neck was the only thing that prevented the silver haired man from crashing to his knees. "Hey, you ok?"

Shrugging free, Sephiroth drew a deep breath, trying to fight off whatever seemed to want to suck him into darkness. "Yeah. Sure. Stumbled. Thanks." He hurried after Aeris before anyone else noticed, wondering why he had for a moment remembered being in the Northern Crater with Yazoo and Loz...

* * *

"Man, I can't believe this!" Reno whined out loud, flinging out his arms. "I mean, here we are; Turks! The biggest, coolest, scariest tough guys in Midgar! Ready to slit throats at the command of our President, and remove every obstacle in his way, reaching for world domination! And what are we doing?" 

Rude sent him a blank look covered by his sun glasses.

"Baby sitting!" The red head exclaimed even louder, pointing at the puzzled Raito gazing at him while colouring on the wall with a crayon.

"Orders." Rude finally muttered as Reno kept staring at him.

Scoffing, Reno crossed his arms with a sullen look. "And if you were ordered to put on a pink tutu and dance around in Midgar, would you do that too?" He cut a face. "Wait. Don't answer that. I really don't wanna know."

Rude complied and didn't answer, merely returned to folding clothes.

Reno paced for a few more minutes, then came to a halt again to start complaining anew. "But this really sucks, man! There's our President, out among the crazies, and what does he do? He leaves his precious bodyguards behind! What kinda messed up logic is that?"

Slowly placing neatly folded clothing upon his already impressive pile, Rude stroke a meditative hand over it. He knew Reno was worried about Rufus. In the past, he always had to worry about his partner's explosive temper, but lately it had seemed that he'd started getting it under control, but that was until lately. Up until Rufus had began pushing his luck, ever since the doctors told him to take it easy after the incident where Sephiroth saved his life.

"He just said that he wanted us to stay with the brats, and that he wasn't going alone!" Reno daintily stepped over Elena, where she had fallen into an exhausted sleep on the floor, covered by the ShinRa twins, and stalked over to the window. "Like them AVALANCHE morons knows how to keep the President alive? They're not loyal like us!"

Rude finally glanced over. "Tifa wont let any harm come to him."

Like always, Rude's calm voice had some soothing effect on Reno, but he couldn't help how his shoulders was iron tense and his knuckles white from clutching his fists painfully hard. "She wasn't there when the helicopter exploded, or when the building fell on him, was she now?"

By not always speaking, but observing, Rude learned how to read people. He could tell the reason behind their words, and find the words they didn't say but needed to be said. The Turk didn't have to use more than a fraction of this skill to know that Reno was blaming himself for not being there for Rufus, not Tifa, and a deep fear was lodged in him that one day it would be too late. Being a Turk was all that he had. Well, that and... A glance at the sleeping blonde, and Rude sighed. He could have used some of her feminine mind games she tended to play on Reno. "He's the boss, Reno. We follow his orders."

"Even when he's acting like an idiot?" Reno snapped angrily, not turning to face his partner.

Smiling faintly, Rude barely withheld the urge to declare that it was probably something that ran in the family. Reno didn't like it when he mentioned his blood relation to Rufus ShinRa. He probably suspected that Rude knew how much his cousin mattered to him, the only family that had actually cared for the troubled red-head. "Yes."

Reno snorted, but the simple answer seemed to take away his fighting spirit. Rude was right, and Reno knew it. There was nothing they could do. Rufus gave an order, and as Turks, they had to obey it. "He wouldn't have put Tseng to baby sit kids..."

Now there was a tinge of resignation in Reno's voice, and Rude closed his eyes briefly. The former leader of the Turks would forever be a ghost over Reno's shoulder. Instead of focusing on how to do things his way, Reno had a bad habit of thinking about Tseng would have done. It seemed as if Reno could only rely on his anger and how to take a life to be his best qualities. "True." Rude added a shrug. "Because he would have killed the children within ten minutes. Five, if they touched his hair."

Feeling Rude's gaze on him, Reno tried, but lost, against the urge to laugh. Turning to glance back at his Turk partner, the red head grinned. "I'm still pissed, yo!"

Rude nodded. "Of course."

Reno wandered over to pick up Raito. "We're Turks! Assassins for hire! Not baby-sitters!"

Picking up his pile of clothes, Rude moved over to place them in the closet. "Indeed."

Hoisting the blonde child, Reno met the deep blue eyes that reflected the lost Strife in them. "What do ya say, kid? Wanna help uncle Reno kick the President's ass later?"

* * *

Kadaj heard Yazoo calling his name from far away. Like in a dream. Slowly he realised that he wasn't dreaming, that there was a tone of fear in his brother's voice, and his mind slowly became filled with pain. What was going on? The last thing he remembered was being on his motorcycle, followed by Loz and Yazoo, when suddenly the world had began to twist and turn in front of his eyes. 

"Kadaj! Come on!" This time it was Loz. He sounded on the verge of starting to cry again.

Trying so hard to open his eyes, Kadaj heard Yazoo telling Loz to keep his act together, and that crying wouldn't solve a damn thing! Typical. Yazoo was about as sensitive as a rock. And yet he was the one Loz sought out to get comfort after his nightmares.

"Kadaj?" Yazoo again, and someone was gently shaking him.

A weak groan, and Kadaj finally felt himself return to life. The light hurt his eyes for a moment, but he caught the relieved looks on his brothers and allowed them to help him sit up. "What... happened?"

Loz had an almost painful grip on his upper arm. "You fell!"

Yazoo kept studying his face carefully. "You passed out, or something, and lost control over your bike. You've been out for hours."

"Hours?" Kadaj tried to remember, but everything had just turned black, like someone had switched off the light. Wait. Kadaj tensed slightly and frowned. He did remember something. He remembered a brightly coloured bag containing sweets. He remembered the half-Cetra in a green winter jacket. He remembered... Sephiroth's past.

"You ok?" Yazoo tilted his head, searching Kadaj's eyes. "You got hurt pretty bad."

Nodding, Kadaj made sign for them to help him up and swayed slightly to regain his balance. "It was... Mother's will."

_"It's happening."_ Chaos' voice suddenly slithered into the conversation, like an unwelcome guest.

Kadaj laughed silently, not sure why a tinge of fear was threatening to choke him. "Yes, demon. It is." He didn't have to turn around to know that the demon was hovering behind him, and that it could smell the change in him. Why did it scare him, if it was Mother's will? A tiny voice screamed inside Kadaj that it was because he wanted to live!

Yazoo frowned, but remained silent, unlike Loz who started to voice his relief at seeing Kadaj alright again.

Barely listening, Kadaj gazed into the distance with an uneasy feeling. The change had begun. He should be happy. Instead, there was this lump in his stomach and fear lurking at the corners of his mind. He didn't like being afraid. He had to do what Mother wished. And she wanted Sephiroth. Even if it meant that she didn't love Kadaj as much as Sephiroth, he had to make her happy. Mother's will came above everything.

It was in moments like this that Yazoo felt like reaching out to touch Kadaj's shoulder. In these rare moments, he wanted his younger brother to talk to him. Look at him with the eyes of an innocent teenager, and not the maniacal look of a soldier. Yazoo knew it was more and more seldom that he got to see these looks on Kadaj, and he was almost relieved to see a taint of uncertainty and fear in him. What good was it to follow Mother's will, if it would cost him his brother? Yazoo didn't know Jenova, hadn't seen her or talked to her, never hugged her or felt her fists in anger, but Kadaj was real to him. Kadaj was his brother.

Loz gazed from one to the other, giving Chaos a nervous smile, then cleared his throat. "So, uh... What now?"

Like snapping out of a dream, Kadaj glanced back at them. "Our goal is closer. Mother is very pleased."

Loz grinned happily, while Yazoo merely tilted his head with an expressionless face.

"We're going to the Lost City," Kadaj stated, returning to his normal self as the seconds passed.

Yazoo frowned again. "The Cetra capital? Why?"

Kadaj got a mean look. "They think they can interfere in our mission and get away with it? They have to be taught a lesson!"

Walking over to their motorcycles, Yazoo felt the unease spread through him once more. He ignored Loz trying to make sure that Kadaj was really in shape to be riding again so soon after his collapse, and wondered if Kadaj meant to start a war against all Cetra. And if that would include Aeris.

Yazoo did not want to know why that thought troubled him.

* * *

Back in Midgar, Aeris gazed emptily out of the window, showing no reaction when Sephiroth stepped up beside her. "Someone has to tell Rain." 

Nodding, Sephiroth didn't take his worried eyes off the half-Cetra. "Barret is on his way to her now. Said he would deal with it. It's not something you tell over the PHS, right?"

Aeris didn't reply.

A moment passed, then Sephiroth sighed and closed his eyes. "You can't let it get to you. You worry too much."

"And what would I be worrying too much about then?" Aeris asked, with a rare amount of snark in her voice. "Would that be the fact that I just made my own life safe, while you and the others are still in danger? Or the fact that my father decided I was more worth than you, because I carry his precious genes, so he abandoned the man I love to a childhood of horrors? I can list up more, so feel free to make this a multiple choice!"

Placing his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to turn and face him, Sephiroth held her gaze sternly. "Now you listen to me, girl. With you and Zefiris safe, that's two more safe from Jenova. What good would it do with you in danger as well, except to soothe your ego by thinking that you should suffer with me. Noble, but stupid, Aeris." He ignored the shocked and offended look on her face. "As for your father's choice... That's what it was; Gast's choice. It didn't have anything to do with you. And it's in the past. We can't change that. We just have to live with it."

Aeris' eyes filled with tears. "I should have been there with you... Maybe if I had, then you wouldn't have been so lonely... It wouldn't have been so horrible if you had someone to share the horror with..."

Sephiroth smiled faintly, stroking a lock of her hair away with a loving touch. "The horror was worth it if it meant that you were safe, Aeris. I would never want anyone to go through what I did. Never." He then winked at her. "And I doubt we would have had much in common. Imagine what Hojo could have done if he had pictures of you braiding my hair as a kid!"

Giggling silently, Aeris merely placed her arms around him and hugged him tight. "Have I mentioned that I love you lately?"

Sephiroth hummed thoughtfully, placing his own arms around her and savoured the smell of flowers. "You stand free to mention it at any moment."

The flower girl closed her eyes and absorbed the strength in his mere presence. His firm presence in her arms. Her safety in his arms. He offered her a light in the darkness, and she couldn't help herself but to accept. "How's Hojo?"

Opening his eyes with a start, like someone had dragged their nails across a chalkboard, Sephiroth snorted surprised. "What?"

Aeris leaned back to gaze up at him with a patient look. "The trip to the Lost City really shook him up. I think it was pretty hard for him to face his past again."

"Really?" Sephiroth mused, playing with the end of her braid. "That guy seems to be pretty unmovable, you know. I doubt anything fazes him."

"You're wrong," Aeris stated. "Hojo is one of the few who suffers from his past as badly as you do. Maybe even worse." She saw the doubt in the reptile eyes. "He keeps blaming himself for failing you, your mother, and everyone he ever cared about." The words 'care about' seemed to make Sephiroth even more puzzled. Like the concept of Hojo being able to care about anything was completely foreign to him. "Did you know that he defied the Cetra to stay with us during my labour?"

Sephiroth slowly shook his head. "No, I... But he's always mean!"

"He wants the world to hate him, like he hates himself," Aeris explained silently. "He doesn't think he deserves forgiveness."

Sephiroth clenched his jaw. "Maybe he doesn't?"

Aeris smiled sadly. "You felt the same way once, remember? And I do believe that he regrets his past as much as you did." She absently played with the straps on his armour. "If things had been different, and Jenova's hold over you hadn't been broken, you might have shared his fate. Hojo's curse was that he didn't have someone strong enough to stop him before it was too late..."

Sephiroth sighed, the bitter taste of defeat spreading through him. "I know..." He sighed. "I've known all along."

Stroking his arm reassuringly, Aeris leaned up to steal a light kiss. "Maybe it's time Hojo has suffered enough? You think you're strong enough to fight him?"

"I told him showing that picture meant war," Sephiroth grinned weakly. "But I'll be honest, this is one fight I'm not looking forward to."

* * *

A light shake of the small object, and two pills tumbled out into Rufus' awaiting hand. The ShinRa president sighed and hesitated only briefly before tossing the painkillers into his mouth and chased them down with a sip of water. His back was aching infernally since that trip to the Lost City. Shots of pain traveled down his spine and legs. A constant throbbing, only interrupted by the occasional jab of starting agony if he did a sudden turn or something. 

There were days when the pain was gone, when he felt like his old self, but then there was the bad days.

Like this one.

"Hey, I wanna talk to you!"

Rufus closed his eyes, slipping the pills back into his pocket, feeling anything but up to the well-meaning abuse he was going to receive from his cousin. Reno had been acting like a second shadow to Rufus ever since he'd gotten hurt during the fight against Jinrei. "What?"

Reno stomped over to stand in front of the desk, waiting until Rufus turned to face him, before sticking his chin out. "I'm not your kids' nanny, yo!"

Absently rubbing two fingers to his temples, Rufus wondered briefly if he was coming down with a Reno-headache again. The guy had a nasty habit of storming into his office and speaking his mind. The headaches always followed such a scene. "I am aware of that, Reno. It was an emergency."

Reno glared for a moment, then shifted uneasily. "You look like shit."

"Why, thank you," Rufus managed an obviously fake smile as he flicked his hair back. "You certainly know how to charm your employer."

This time, Reno scowled. "You didn't have to go to the Lost place, Rufus. They didn't need you there, and still you had to butt in. And now you're hurting, right?"

Rufus clenched his jaw, hating it when he was wrong and Reno was right. Especially if it was Reno. "I'm fine." The words came out through gritted teeth in pure anger.

"Fine, my ass," Reno scoffed and sat down on the edge of the desk. "You gotta stop this crazy act of yours, Rufus. Or you're gonna end up in that wheelchair permanently. That what you want?"

The thought sent a shiver of dread through Rufus, and he tensed defensively. "Crazy act?"

Reno gesticulated faintly. "You know... All this running around, jumping, climbing trees stuff. The doctors said you'd be fine eventually. But not if you keep this up, yo." A small hesitation. "It's okay that you got hurt. Cloud and his gang stuck me in a hospital for ages, remember? No one expects you to be some Sephiroth, yo."

Flinching like Reno had struck him right across his face, Rufus' eyes narrowed and he drew a slow breath. "Get up."

"What?" Reno glanced up from studying his nails.

Rufus stared furiously at the red head. "You're sitting on my desk, Turk. Get. Up." He saw the wariness enter Reno's eyes as he slowly raised his lanky form and measured the other man. "Do I have to remind you that you're still my employee? That you work for me? That I am your superior?"

Placing his hands on the desk, leaning forward, Reno pierced his cousin with a deadly gaze that would send most men cowering. "Obviously." There was a dangerous calm over the paid murderer that would have caused Rude to frown and Elena to jump to his side. It was the calm that revealed the raw violence just underneath Reno's skin.

"What I do with my life is my business," Rufus declared icily. "Stay out of it, Turk. You're paid to do what you're told, not to interfere where you're not wanted."

Reno smiled like a razor blade, leaning even closer. "In that case... You may take the money you're paying me, and shove it. **Sir**."

Nausea. Rufus could feel it spread through him as he watched his cousin walk out of the office and silently close the door behind him. He had to struggle against the urge to call him back. To apologize. To tell him that he understood that Reno was just concerned. That he appreciated it, but he would be fine. Swallowing hard, Rufus sank down into his chair and stared emptily ahed.

Reno couldn't quit, could he?

Pulling his hands through his hair, Rufus exhaled painfully. Why had he gotten so angry? There was no reason for him to pull rank, knowing it was the worst thing he could do to Reno because of his past. Because of the reason Reno became a Turk. Rufus knew, and he'd used it to avoid having to admit that his father still had a hold on him from beyond the grave.

Rufus had hurt a person who actually cared about him because Rufus' father had taught him that ShinRa's do not bleed. Do not cry. And do not show any kind of weakness.

There was a loud crash as everything was swept off a desk in anger.

Then there was silence, and loneliness.

* * *

_AN; As always, huge thanks to you people who took the time to read and review, for your support in my writing and your patience for the updates! You are the reason why this story just keeps going! This time I haven't had time to reply to every review, and I'm truly sorry for that, but I hope that you'll forgive me when I say that I spent the time writing this chapter instead so it would actually get updated this month! I just hope you all like! _


	8. Falling away from me

**8. Falling away from me**

* * *

**_This chapter is dedicated to these wonderful people; Tishannia, Shinz, Emerald Drake, James Firecat, Turtlerad17, Kit Thespian and Lady Nephenee Ranulf._**

* * *

****

Rain stared emptily ahed.

She'd been like that ever since Barret told her about Vincent, and didn't seem to notice Tifa gently placing an arm around her.

Seconds passed.

Finally Tifa couldn't stand it anymore and gave the other woman a gentle squeeze. "You ok?"

Nodding, Rain kept staring.

Barret shifted uneasily. "I'm sorry, Rain..."

The news had left the usually so calm woman deathly pale and with a strange look in her eyes. She'd known. She'd known for these last years that something like this would happen. Vincent had more or less told her, and Rain had personally experienced that Chaos could take over the former Turk completely.

Tifa and Barret exchanged worried looks.

"Cloud's son... Is he still in Midgar?" Rain asked suddenly in a distant voice.

Tifa tried a faint smile. "Yes. He and the twins. Seems like the two delinquents are delighted that I brought them a friend."

Rain closed her eyes. "Would you mind taking Dawn as well for a little while?"

Frowning confused, Tifa tried to read her face. "Of course not. But... I don't understand. Why...?"

"Because I'm going to find Vincent," Rain stated, opening her eyes with eerie determination.

"By yourself?" Barret exclaimed angrily, waving his gun arm. "Don't be a foo, woman! You'd never make it on yer own!"

Getting up, Rain stared harshly at the man. "Holding onto Vincent Valentine is like trying to holding onto water. It feels like he's disappearing from me, a little at the time. But I'm not giving up on him! I never will! Me and Dawn is the only things in his life that he'll fight for. If not for himself, then I gotta make sure he finds his way back to his daughter!"

Tifa got up as well, placing a calming hand on Rain's shoulder. "I understand, but you have to think about this."

Rain shrugged off Tifa's hand. "There's nothing to think about! If that demon is holding Vincent captured, then he needs a little reminder as to why he should fight even harder against Chaos!"

Sighing, Tifa wrapped her arms around herself. "Rain, please, I understand, but racing off to find Vincent on your own will probably just get you killed!"

"And how do ya expect us to explain that to your kid, huh?" Barret growled. "Ain't doing Dawn no good to lose both of you!"

"Come back to Midgar with us, bring Dawn, and we'll figure out what to do," Tifa suggested softly, seeing how Rain was now on the verge of breaking into tears.

A long silence, before Rain finally managed to nod.

Even Barret was visibly relieved. He placed his human hand by Rain's arm and made her meet his eyes. "We'll get'im back. I promise."

Smiling weakly through tears, Rain placed her own hand over his. "Yes, we will..."

It was not too long ago that Tifa feared she had lost Rufus forever, and that was a fear she would never forget. A feeling that she knew Rain had to be suffering under right now. Nothing but Vincent's return could ease that horror.

"I'll get the kid," Barret offered and walked out of the room, clearly eager to get away from the agony in the air.

Tifa glanced over at Rain, trying a smile as well. "Let's get packed, yeah?"

"Yeah," Rain whispered and forced herself into moving. It was a battle she had known would come, but it didn't make it any easier.

It was a battle that could not end well.

A battle where there had to be a sacrifice for there to be victory.

A victory filled with tears.

* * *

Hojo handed the test results back to the assistant. "Run the tests again. I find it hard to trust results delivered by a complete idiot." He kept staring at the unfortunate man, who was on the verge of crying, until the poor soul had fled the room. Of course Hojo knew the outcome of the tests wouldn't be any different, they only confirmed what he feared was happening, but the fool had claimed he'd done them perfectly when the dark haired scientist had muttered something about new tests. 

No lab assistant opened his mouth unless spoken to by Hojo first, and certainly not to declare that they had done nothing wrong!

The door had barely closed behind the assistant before it was re-opened, and Hojo tensed. For one second he thought the idiot had returned. Then he realised that no human was foolish enough to cross Hojo twice, and knew it was only Aeris that would dare to intrude on his science time! "What?" He snapped in a sour tone, spinning around to face her. "What do you..."

Sephiroth almost laughed at the stupefied look on Hojo's face, finding that look alone worth the trip to the laboratory he hadn't been in for years and still had nightmares about. "If that's the way you greet your guests, no wonder no one comes here anymore."

Clearing his throat, Hojo turned away to pretend he was studying the test results again. "It's how I prefer it. What do you want?"

Hesitating, Sephiroth sauntered over to a pile of papers towering on one of the desks. "Back in the Lost City... Professor Gast's presence really made you angry..."

Hojo tensed dangerously, and he glared over his shoulder towards the silver haired man. "What? Does it offend you that I disapprove of your hero?"

Sephiroth smiled faintly, turning a page without actually reading. He remembered how Aeris had warned him about this. Talking to Hojo was like a small war in itself. Hojo would always drive a swift and powerful attack, and then withdraw into himself and safety. The trick was not to take the bait, but let him wear himself out. "I always thought it was jealousy that made you go through the roof every time anyone mentioned Gast. He was liked by everyone, you were not. People loved him, and feared you." He straightened and turned to face the dismissive back towards him. "I never stopped to think that you might actually have had a reason to dislike him. Hate him, even. I'd decided to hate you, so everything was your fault. And then... I heard that Gast was dead. That you killed him."

Hojo spun around to face him, pale and fiercly defensive. "Yes, I killed that rat. That lowly vulture. I shot him, and my only regret is that I can't do it again!"

A few second passed before Sephiroth managed to gather himself again. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... I can understand why you hate him. Why you did what you did. A few years ago, I was under Jenova's power too. To have someone I trusted see me turn into that monster I became do nothing, I'd hate him too."

Golden brown eyes flickered, and Hojo tried to hide the confusion he felt at those words. It didn't make sense. Sephiroth was acting strange. Handing him hope? "Stop wasting my time! Why are you really here?"

"When Kadaj contacts Rufus again, you're going to meet him, aren't you?" Sephiroth saw the small nod, and gave a little sigh. "I'm going with you."

Hojo shook his head in puzzlement, failing to see what Sephiroth had to gain. "In hopes of capturing him? Killing him? Or do you simply not trust me, and fear I might go into cahoots with him, so to speak?"

Sephiroth snorted. "No. Maybe it's because I want to make sure that copycat isn't out to kill 'you'? You may be a nut-case, but you're the only dad I got, ok?"

Turning away again, Hojo made sure Sephiroth didn't see his face. "Don't call me that." There was contempt in that tone.

The words just about slapped Sephiroth across the face, and he felt the burn of rejection as he mentally cursed himself for actually wanting to make an effort to patch a tiny bridge between them! For being stupid enough to think that Hojo might be able to regret what happened, or even learn to care about his son!

Huffing, Hojo removed his glasses and started cleaning them. "I'm already living on borrowed time, remember? Besides... It's such a boorish term. 'Dad'." He paused to study the glasses. "There's more respect in 'father'."

Sephiroth blinked. Did the man just scare the life out of him over his choice of word? "I'm calling you 'dad', Dad!"

"No, you're not." Hojo turned to glare at him.

"Yes, I am!"

"No. You are not. I'm not going to respond to it."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Oh, yes, you are."

"No, I am not!"

"Hey, Dad?"

"What?"

Sephiroth was all grin.

Hojo cut a face. "Oh, crap..."

* * *

Rufus didn't glance up from his papers as the door to his office opened. He knew only Tifa would dare to defy his orders about not disturbing him, and he'd been too worried about her travelling to Wutai for him to start yelling at her. "How did she take it?" 

"As well as can be expected," Tifa replied silently and walked over to stand beside him. A few seconds later, she frowned concerned. "Have you been sitting her since I left?"

Rufus nodded, still focusing on the documents in front of him.

Tifa crossed her arms. "Rufus ShinRa... Have you been abducted by aliens and replaced by an idiot?"

Finally glancing up, Rufus blinked puzzled. "Excuse me?"

Smiling resigned, the brunette moved over to sit on the edge of his desk. "You've been acting weird since the doctors told you to take it easy, and lately you've been acting like a pure idiot. Why wont you just tell me what's bothering you?"

Rufus laughed silently, leaning back into his chair, and began fidgeting with a pen. "You got me. My cover is blown. I'm really an alien."

Tifa nodded before reaching out to take the pen from him. "In that case, I might as well hand you over to Hojo for a little... experimentation."

Shifting uncomfortably, Rufus cleared his throat. "Alright, alright. No need to get all Miss Mean!" He then sighed and shrugged helplessly. "I don't know, Tifa... I just... I can't stand the thought of being weak..."

"So you prefer to be an idiot?" Tifa deadpanned. She waved away his protest. "I know it's hurting your macho-ness that you have to take things a little easy, but if you'd listened to the doctors; Rufus ShinRa would have been fully healed by now. Instead you keep pushing your luck, until you finally will end up in a wheelchair for the rest of your life." The brunette sighed and gazed wearily at the man she still worshipped despite his stubbornness. "It's tough enough raising two children without having a husband who acts their age too." This time she silence his outcry with a kiss and grinned impishly. "But even in a wheelchair you wont get rid off me!"

Rufus didn't know whether to laugh at her words or be offended by them, so he decided to do a little of both. "You're such a cruel shrew!"

"And yet you still love me," Tifa purred, and giggled satisfied when he stole a possessive kiss.

A kiss that lead to others, and could easily have lead to something else, but suddenly a sound interrupted them.

The sound of a cell phone. The phone Kadaj had left for Rufus.

Exchanging a quick look with Tifa, the young President then reached out and pressed the reply button. "Yeah?"

"I trust you have the good doctor ready to go?" Kadaj's ever cheerful voice asked with an almost visible grin.

Rufus frowned. "If I refuse...?"

Kadaj's voice did not lose it's smirk for one second. "Then we have to come to him." A small laugh. "And we both know that we'll be able to punch our way into your little Midgar and people will get hurt."

Despite the urge to challenge such insolent confidence, Rufus forced himself neutral. "I assume you have a meeting place in mind?"

"The Cetra Capital. Tomorrow. Be there, or pay the price, ShinRa. And I promise you that it will be a heavy price to pay if you don't bring him there or try to trick me."

Glancing over at the phone when the tone revealed that Kadaj had hung up on him, Rufus sighed resigned. "Damned if I do... Damned if I don't..."

Tifa frowned worried and absently rubbed his shoulders. "What are you going to do...?"

"Hojo declared that he would be willing to meet them, but..." Rufus shook his head lightly. "Can we really trust him?"

The brunette paused, gazing down at her hands and searched her heart. "When I was fighting beside Cloud, I would have sworn that Hojo could never be trusted at all. But now... Now I want to believe..."

Sighing, Rufus placed a comforting hand over one of hers. "I'm not entirely sure if we have a choice in the matter anyway. If we don't deliver the good doctor, Kadaj will get even. Usually I never seek to avoid a confrontation, but this one... Kadaj is capable of anything. I can't predict what he'll do if I refuse..."

Or who would get hurt.

* * *

Yuffie managed a faint smile as Hawk moved over to sit down beside her. 

The young ninja had been sitting on the ceiling of the ShinRa Tower for a while now, staring at the stars and cursing herself.

"You ok?" Hawk asked quietly, feeling the unease radiating from the unusually silent Yuffie. "You've been up here for hours now..."

Yuffie scoffed half-heartedly. "It's not very polite to spy on a lady, you know."

Nodding, Hawk glanced up at the sky as well. "Usually I would agree, but not when a certain lady's well-being means everything to you and you're worried about her."

Silence followed for a while, then suddenly Yuffie glanced over at him with tear-filled eyes. "They got Vinnie, you know."

Hawk closed his eyes briefly and nodded again. "I know."

"Well, I didn't!" Yuffie exclaimed, angrily wiping her hand underneath her left eye to remove a rebel tear. "These creeps grab one of my best friends and I wasn't there! I didn't even notice until later! What kinda ninja am I?"

Taking her hand, gently braiding their fingers, and stroking it with his other hand, Hawk sighed deeply. "There was no way you could have known, Yuffie. You can't blame yourself for this. Vincent takes off on his own all the time. You're not his guardian."

"No..." Yuffie whispered miserably. "I thought I was his friend..."

"You are his friend," Hawk insisted softly. "And Vincent knows that. Right now we just got to focus on how to get him back, and not think about what we 'could' have done."

Yuffie made another half-hearted scoff. "You're always so practical. Always calm and rational, aren't you. Must be nice."

Hawk swallowed hard and drew a light finger over her hand. "When my brother betrayed me and our clan, I had a feast of self-blame, but in the end... Blame doesn't help anyone. Least of all Vincent." He let go of her hand, placing his own hands behind his neck as he laid down on the ceiling.

Realising she had unintentionally hurt him, again, Yuffie hesitated for a few seconds. "I keep messing up, huh?" She bit her lower lip to keep the tears back, but eventually sank down to curl up to Hawk. "I'm sorry. Me and my big mouth aren't happy until everyone else is miserable too."

Losing the fight against a faint smile, Hawk placed a light kiss on top of her head. "You say it like you see it. I've always admired that about you."

"Even when I sound like a complete jerk?" Yuffie mumbled against his chest.

Hawk laughed softly, maneuvering one arm around her. "Especially then." He then sighed again. "I've got a bad feeling about this one, Yuffie..."

Yuffie gazed absently into the distance. "I know." She did too.

The moonlight caressed the two as they listened to the sounds of Midgar for a while, both trying to deal with moving forward while their instincts screamed for them to back away. The last time Hawk had felt this uneasy, he'd returned to find Wutai burned to the ground and his clan almost completely wiped out. And yet there was no way any Wutai ninja would back out from a mission because of danger. The three silver haired men threatened their friends, so Yuffie and Hawk would join the fight against them to the bitter end.

They would help protect Sephiroth, like they had helped protect Cid from Jinrei.

Honour and friendship wouldn't allow anything else.

Yuffie glanced up at Hawk's solemn face, hating to see her own feelings reflected in that expression. Maybe things would go bad, maybe they wouldn't. Future would tell. The present was at least theirs. "You're just trying to get off the hook, aren't you?"

Hawk blinked surprised, unable to find an answer to a completely unexpected question out of nowhere. "What? Yuffie, what are you talking about?"

Sitting up, Yuffie poked him sharply in his chest, causing him to exhale sharply and sit up with a look of complete confusion. "What am I talking about? Pfft! You know what I'm talking about! You're just trying to wiggle out of it! I said eight, and I mean eight babies, Hawk!" She had to use her every once of control to keep from breaking into a hysterical laughter as Hawk's face turned crimson and he started stuttering.

Yuffie knew she would have to tell Hawk about her plan later, but right now she was going to enjoy watching him panic.

Vincent Valentine was her friend.

And no Sephy-wannabe got away with stealing one of Yuffie's friends!

* * *

Yazoo watched Kadaj kneeling by the water, trying to ignore Loz' efforts at catching butterflies with his hands, and tried to tell himself that his unease was unfounded. 

They had just reached the Cetra Capital and Kadaj had been staring at the water ever since they had arrived.

It was starting to grate on Yazoo's nerves.

He had so much to think about lately, and Kadaj's weird behavior did not help! Yazoo couldn't stop thinking about what Aeris, no, the half-Cetra had told him. About Mother. And how the nasty accusations the half-blood had thrown at Mother did make some sort of horrible sense.

Yazoo knew it was printed in his DNA to trust Mother, yet his mind refused to follow orders blindly. There was too much she wasn't telling them. Why would Mother keep things from them? Why was she so set on torturing Kadaj, who was her most loyal son, Sephiroth included.

Sephiroth...

Why was that one so important anyway? The three brothers could give Mother whatever she wanted, and still she was set on the one son who didn't want her presence. The thought that she would trade all three of them for Sephiroth had appeared in Yazoo's mind right before he spoke to Aer... the half-Cetra and it simply would not leave him after that. Mother had a mission, something else beside what she told Kadaj, and it involved their big brother.

Kadaj had always had a bad temper, but lately it was getting even worse. So did his nightmares.

Yazoo pretended not to hear Kadaj crying at nights, but it was hard to see his little brother falling apart and knowing it was Mother who did it to him.

And Mother knew Yazoo was suspicious.

"Yazoo, look!" Loz held out his hands in front of Yazoo's face, holding the remains of what probably was a butterfly once.

Flinching away, Yazoo cut a face of disgust. "Yeah, you caught one. Huzzah... Maybe you shouldn't hold it quite that hard next time?"

Loz lowered his hands to gaze puzzled at the mess. The short haired brother truly had no concept of how strong he was. But a bright smile and the declaration that he would do better next time also proved that Loz was someone who wanted to learn and there was a forbidden kindness underneath the rough exterior.

Yazoo sighed as Loz ran off again before slowly approaching Kadaj. "Hojo is coming here?"

"Can you feel it?" Kadaj asked in an eerie voice, excited and distant at the same time. His hand was hovering just about the water surface.

Gazing impassively at the clear water, Yazoo could feel it wanted to inch away from them. He could feel the disgust and anger. The loathing. Like someone faced with a nasty insect. A deadly insect. "What are you going to do, Kadaj?"

Kadaj tapped a finger lightly on the surface, watching the ripples trying to flee from his touch. "Mother has a score to settle with the Cetra, Yazoo. This is their final little hiding place, you know. Their heart."

Yazoo frowned, tilting his head as he tried to make sense of it. "And Hojo?"

"Hojo will be the key to bring Mother back," Kadaj stated before falling silent for a few seconds. When he spoke again, it was with a dangerously soft tone. "You're asking an awful lot of questions lately, Yazoo..." He suddenly slammed his hand into the water, sending it flying, before abruptly standing up and turning to face his brother. "Are you doubting Mother?"

Despite his thundering heart, Yazoo managed to keep his neutral face. "I like to be informed." He stuck his chin out slightly, hoping anger would hide his uncertainty. "Mother seems to be growing fonder of you by the minute, Kadaj, and that leaves me and Loz as expendable."

Kadaj stared at him, his eyes narrow and his gaze harsh, until he seemed satisfied at what he was seeing. His features softened slightly and sanity seemed to slip into place. "Mother loves you too, Yazoo. She loves all of us." He flung out his arms and grinned widely. "And with Hojo, we will be able to bring Mother back! Big brother wont stand a chance!"

Yazoo closed his eyes as Kadaj walked pass him, feeling like screaming at the top of his lungs. His heart told him one thing. His instincts told him another thing. And his brain told him yet another tale. What was he to trust?

**Who **was he to trust!

* * *

Aeris wrapped her arms around herself and gazed at two people disappearing into the forrest. 

She'd been able to nag her way on board the Highwind, but nothing could convince Sephiroth to allow her to follow them into the Lost City. So she was left behind on the deck of the airship, watching them leave, and cursing her own helplessness. There was nothing she could do but pray.

Sephiroth and Hojo was on their own.

Everyone else was below, in the war room on the Highwind, but the flower girl had to watch them as long as she could. Unable to fight against some futile notion that they couldn't get killed as long as she was able to see them at least. Now she just had to wait, pray, and try not to cry. Luckily the others had understood and agreed to her wish to be on deck alone.

"I don't have much time." A voice suddenly said

Spinning around, Aeris gasped at the sight of Yazoo and instinctively backed into the railing of the Highwind. "You!"

Yazoo took a step towards her. "Listen! I said I don't have much time, and I mean that. Kadaj will notice I'm gone soon. I gotta get back before that happens."

Aeris forced her racing heart somewhat calm and tried to gather herself. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you in the Lost City? How did you get up here? When did you get here?"

This time, Yazoo stalked all the way over to her and didn't stop until his face was mere inches away from hers. "I don't have time for this!" If he hadn't been this annoyed, Yazoo might have found it funny at how large her green eyes became at his nearness. "I came to tell you something, not to get interrogated!"

Barely managing to swallow, Aeris tried in vain to lean a little more back. "O-ok... I'm listening..."

Hesitating, Yazoo studied her face. "Mother plans to have Hojo bring her back. I'm not entirely sure how, but... Kadaj said Hojo was the key."

"Why are you telling me this?" Aeris whispered, trying to escape the eyes that reminded her so much about Sephiroth.

The corner of Yazoo's mouth tugged at a sarcastic smile. "Because if my brother succeeds... Sephiroth will join Mother and my little brother will die." He tilted his head slightly. "I'm betraying him because I want him to live."

Sympathy melted Aeris' fear and she reached out to touch by Yazoo's jawline, returning his sarcasm with a true and soft smile. "You're doing the right thing. Kadaj will understand that some day."

"If you guys don't kill him first," Yazoo sneered angrily, yet unable to break free from the feather light touch. "Don't misunderstand me, half-blood. I will kill anyone who tries to hurt my brothers! I'm not on your side. I'm not one of the good guys. Don't forget that!"

Aeris' smile never wavered. "You're willing to sacrifice everything for your brother... I'm sorry, but that labels you as a pretty good guy in my book."

Yazoo's eyes narrowed. "And if I kill Sephiroth to protect my brother, would I stay in that book?"

Aeris raised an eyebrow and sent him a dry look. "You sure you're not related to Hojo?" She then giggled lightly at the puzzled look on his face. "It's just that... He talks like that too, and has a fit every time I call him a good guy. I take it that it's more cool to be a baddie then?"

Blinking, Yazoo wasn't sure how to reply. The half-Cetra had confused him in the past, and now she did the same, but now with a side-order of strange feelings. Backing away, he cleared his throat. "My point is that I will do what it takes to keep Kadaj and Loz alive. Even if it means killing your friends. Or you."

"I understand," Aeris declared gently. "I just hope that it'll never come to that."

Yazoo gazed over at the forrest. "Fine. Now go tell your friends that it's a trap. That you have to hurry or both Sephiroth and Hojo will be killed."

Aeris folded her hands behind her back. "How do I explain me knowing it's a trap?"

"Blame it on your Cetra skills or something, I don't care!" Yazoo snapped and walked over to the railing. "I have to go now. Don't be late if you wish to save your dear Sephiroth."

Daring to move over to his side, Aeris studied his expression for a second. "Thank you."

Yazoo glanced over at her as well, allowing their eyes to lock for a little while, then he gave a little nod and jumped off the airship.

* * *

"You sure this is the right place?" Hojo asked drily, glancing around at the glowing trees with disdain. What was it with good guys and the colour white? Did they think bright furniture made them even more good? 

Sephiroth glared over at his father. "Yes. I am sure. Dad!"

Hojo glared back. "Brat."

"How touching!" Kadaj drawled, stepping out to greet them. "Makes me feel like fetching a camera! Capturing the family moment!"

Sephiroth instantly placed a hand on the Masamune and smirked. "Don't worry. We have plenty of these little moments. We'll catch a photo session later."

Kadaj nodded. "Fair enough. But I seem to recall that I told ShinRa that I needed to speak to Hojo alone..."

"Family shouldn't keep secrets," Sephiroth countered with an acid smile.

Hojo nodded faintly, unaware of acknowledging Sephiroth's skills at verbal fights. At least Hojo had given the boy **something **useful in his DNA!

Stalling for one second, Kadaj finally nodded as well. "Fair enough. Big brother." He walked over to Hojo and halted to bow deeply. "It's an honour to meet you, Hojo."

Taking a step back, Hojo frowned confused as if he expected Kadaj to bite at any moment. "You brought me here to suck up to me? For what purpose? You couldn't just send a fan-mail?"

"Mother has told me about all the things you did for her," Kadaj continued in a smooth voice and met the golden gaze with a smirk. "I'm impressed."

"And I'm bored," Hojo snapped tensely. "You threatened and whined me into coming here. What do you want from me?"

Kadaj's eyes narrowed. "Mother wishes for you to join us."

Hojo crossed his arms. "Why should I?" He tried to ignore Sephiroth glaring from him to Kadaj and back again.

"Because she can give you what you want," Kadaj declared gently. "Remember? All the things she can do for you..."

Tensing, Hojo felt the lure tug at him. Old memories resurfacing. The highs and the daze. It was so much easier like that. The all-powerful-feeling. The feeling of being a god. "She can't give me what I want..."

Kadaj's eyes narrowed again. "She can give you what you want... Or take away what you treasure..."

Hojo opened his mouth to deliver another snarky reply when suddenly both Kadaj and Sephiroth collapsed. Starting, he immediately kneeled down beside his son and placed two fingers to check his pulse as Sephiroth began to convulse. Violently. Hojo barely noticed the two rushing to Kadaj's side as he began to convulse too.

A long haired youth gazed over at Hojo and clenched his jaw hard. "What did you do to him, you bastard?"

Hojo smirked. "I think you should ask Jenova that question, runt." Then he felt a shiver reminding of fear as he saw Chaos appearing behind the youth who had spoken to him. The demon was actually free. That could mean even more trouble than Jenova...

"We gotta get him out of here!" The short haired youth wailed, anxiously clutching the unconscious Kadaj.

"Good idea," the long haired one agreed, as he saw the figures of approaching people. "We're not alone anymore."

Hojo forced himself to return his focus to the shaking Sephiroth, away from Chaos' burning glare, and ordered Rufus to help him hold the former general down as the young president came running to his side.

"What's wrong with him?" Rufus exclaimed horrified, trying to prevent the worst of Sephiroth's shaking.

Hojo glanced briefly over as the two silver haired brothers carried off Kadaj. "I don't know..." He then pulled out a small flashlight from his shirt pocket and shone it into Sephiroth's left eye.

Barret barely managed to grab a hold of Aeris as she wanted to run straight for Sephiroth, ignoring her screams for him to let her go. "You gotta let the man do his job, girl."

Hojo shook his head after a few seconds. "We need to get him back to Midgar. I can't do anything here." He got up as Cid rushed over to help Rufus hoist up Sephiroth, and the dark haired scientist gazed thoughtfully over at where Kadaj had vanished with his two brothers.

If the lab results would reveal what Hojo thought they would, they had just run out of time...

* * *

_AN: A late update, AND a cliffie? What kind of writing is this! Ahem. I blame the delay on the thing that happens every time this year, Roskilde Music Festival! With that said, I shall hope to update within reasonable time with the next chapter despite me going out on the road again, simply because I'm bringing my nice laptop along for the ride! Which is also the reason why I didn't have the time to reply to the reviews this time... But I can tell you that everyone was read and cherished!_

_Hope ya'll enjoyed the chapter anyway, and remember to feed the author with reviews!_


	9. The Reason

**9. The Reason**

* * *

**_And this chapter is dedicated to the wonderful people, who provide inspiration and ensure thatthe chapters keep coming: Selunchen123, Tishannia, FuschiaFinn, Lady Nephenee Ranulf, Basha, Sho Lover, Kit Thespian, Shinz, James Firecat, and Great Beaver!_**

_And a word of warning for the weak of heart, this chapter turns dark..._

* * *

He couldn't remember falling asleep, but here he was struggling to open his eyes.

Actually, it felt like he'd been asleep for years.

There was a distant sound that he unfortunately recognized as a heart monitor and his mind scrambled to understand why he was in a hospital while the battle open his eyes continued. Sephiroth just knew it was important that he woke up now.

Finally the world swam into focus and the silver haired man managed a faint smile as he saw Aeris standing by his bed.

The flower girl smiled as she reached out and stroke away a lock of silver hair. "Welcome back, Mr Aeris."

"Good to be back Mrs Sephiroth," Sephiroth countered drowsily. "Care to explain why I'm here?"

The smile vanished from Aeris' face and she avoided his eyes for a moment. "You collapsed in the Lost City. Don't you remember?"

Sephiroth frowned. No, he didn't remember.

The memories were hazed, but he could recall the journey and vaguely recollect arriving, but then everything just went black. No warnings. No strange feelings. No nothing.

Sitting up, Sephiroth tried to force himself fully awake. "What happened?"

"Kadaj appeared. He said something, and the both of you just... I don't know! You kept shaking and... I was so scared!" Aeris blurted out, taking his hand in hers.

Sephiroth absently squeezed her hand gently. "Hojo...?"

"Has run just about every conceivable test on you," Aeris stated with a slight smile. "You had him worried too. Really worried."

"I find that a bit hard to believe," Sephiroth chuckled. "The worrying part, that is. Not the bit about him running tests."

Aeris slapped his shoulder lightly and tried to send him a stern look. "Behave you! He really has been worried!"

Nodding, Sephiroth captured her hand again. "I'm sure he has been really worried. Shedding tears at night and bravely hiding them during the day." He tightened his grip to prevent Aeris from freeing her hand slapping him again. "However, what I would like to know is, has he discovered anything useful?"

The flower girl huffed frustrated, but had to give up. "Wouldn't we all like to know! You know how he is! He's been locked up in his labs, where no man dares to interrupt him, that was when he wasn't wandering around in the halls while muttering to himself. That man is a fright once he's set his mind to unlock a riddle!"

"I know, " Sephiroth admitted, still with an amused smile. "But you've never been one who scares easily."

"True," Aeris countered, sitting down on his bed. "But Hojo really takes this seriously. After the threat of turning me into a newt didn't work, he actually asked if I could back off and give him space to figure out what was happening to you. He used logic and was polite about it! There was nothing I could do!"

Laughing silently, Sephiroth merely pulled her into his embrace and closed his eyes as she wrapped her arms around him as well. He would deal with Hojo himself later. Right now he was too tired to do anything.

A head ache was dancing at the edge of his brain, not quite sure whether it would set up camp or move on, and some futile hope said that latter would happen if he just kept really still!

Yet Sephiroth couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened to him. He felt different. Heck, he wasn't even sure how long he'd been knocked out!

Careful testing revealed that his brain allowed him to use it without too much agony, and the silver haired man began exploring how much he did remember of what had happened. Aeris said that Kadaj had appeared. That he had said something. Sephiroth remembered walking towards the Lost City with Hojo, but not seeing Kadaj.

He felt weak. Physically tired.

What had Kadaj said? Why couldn't Sephiroth remember? Where had the other two copies been? Yazoo and Loz. They were worried about their younger brother, so they wouldn't be comfortable with allowing him to meet Sephiroth and Hojo alone...

Sephiroth frowned nervously. How did he know Yazoo was still edgy about his last fight with Kadaj, or that Loz promised to have Kadaj's bike repaired by tomorrow?Sephiroth knew he wasn't supposed to know that Loz couldn't sleep without a night-light and that Yazoo despised asparagus!

Sephiroth couldn't explain why he knew Kadaj hated him with a vengeance.

Drawing a deep breath to calm himself, Sephiroth hugged Aeris tighter. He needed to talk to Hojo.

Now.

* * *

Kadaj's eyelashes barely raised themselves and he made a drowsy sound. "She gave him... candy." 

Yazoo frowned as he gazed down at the young man, still lying on the blanked they'd placed in a small cave. After he'd collapsed, they'd been forced to improvise, and every second that he didn't wake up made them worry even more. What had Hojo done to him?

Leaning over to peer curiously down at Kadaj, Loz wrapped his arms around his knees from where he was sitting beside him. "Who gave who candy, Kadaj?"

"The half-Cetra..." Kadaj murmured, clearly struggling to stay awake, but turned his face to gaze directly at Yazoo. "What's her name...?"

"I don't remember," Yazoo lied tersely, crossing his arms defensively and tilted his head. "You feeling ok?"

Kadaj hummed absently and blinked sleepily. "Aeris. Right?" He turned his focus back to Loz. "She gave candy to Sephiroth."

Loz frowned. "What's candy?"

"A waste of time," Yazoo cut in antsily. "Kadaj, snap out of it! What happened to you?"

Laughing wearily, Kadaj closed his eyes again. "What... happened to me..." Suddenly he was staring at Yazoo with a piercing look. "He hates us, you know! He wants us dead!" Then he was scrambling to his feet, pushing Loz away when he offered support. "But Sephy is in for a surprise now! Oh, yes, he is!" Kadaj laughed manically, clutching his head. "Snowball fight... Trigger... Soldier Girl..." A pained sound. "Jinrei... Cloud! M... Materia..."

Yazoo slapped away the one hand Kadaj held out to fend him off and grabbed a hold of his brother's shoulders. "Kadaj! Stop it! You hear me?"

Panting for air, Kadaj met his glare with a confused and almost frightened look. "Yazoo...? I keep hearing things... Remembering things..." He shook his head. "But it's not me! It's Sephiroth! He's inside my head!"

Loz exchanged a concerned look with Yazoo, before he placed a gentle hand on Kadaj's shoulder. "Hey, Kadaj, maybe you should rest a little more?"

Kadaj hesitated, still staring at his long haired brother, before he slowly allowed Loz to guide him over to sid down again. "Mother said... But I didn't k now..." He didn't even object to Loz stroking his hair and sitting down beside him. All Kadaj could think was; So this is how dying feels like... Losing piece by piece of yourself...

Yazoo was once again trapped in helplessness and it was threatening to swallow him whole. His baby brother was either dying or going insane, and there was nothing he could do about it! "Kadaj... You have to be strong..."

"Mother told me..." Kadaj mumbled, "Sephiroth..." He whimpered softly and clutched his head again, leaning against Loz.

How did you stand by and let your only family die? How could you do nothing and merely watch as your brother lost his mind? Was it possible to stand idle while someone you cared about was torn to pieces inside?

Yazoo cursed and turned away, unable to bear the sight anymore.

Loz sighed and tried to keep the tears away. "Y-You know Kadaj, we could go back home for a while..."

Shaking his head. Kadaj clutched Loz' arm. "Mother says we have to do it now... For her..."

Yazoo tensed even worse, note sure if he wanted to hit Kadaj or join in on the sobbing. Everything in him screamed that he had to find Mother, but he was finding it easier and easier to ignore the call as days passed. "What is she planning, Kadaj?"

"Sephiroth..." Kadaj mumbled, his voice turning strange and distant again. "He wants to fight us...? Let's see how well he does it without Mother's help..."

Closing his eyes, Yazoo sighed. "So it was her... It wasn't Hojo that made you collapse... It was her."

"Zefiris and Aeris... The Cetra got to them..." Kadaj continued to mumble. "They're no use to us now. Only Sephiroth and two more remain. We have to hurry. Mother will deal with them, but we need Hojo."

"Why?" Yazoo snapped angrily. "He made it pretty clear that he's siding with Sephiroth!"

Kadaj gave an eerie smile. "He'll come around. And very soon."

Wishing more than believing his brother was right, Yazoo exhaled wearily and walked towards their motorcycles. "I guess I'd better put out the 'Welcome' sign then..."

And figure out a way to keep his brothers alive...

* * *

Hojo crossed his arms to lean them on the railing, and gazed up at the star-lit sky. 

He'd escaped out onto one of the balconies in the ShinRa Tower to have his solace and think about what he was going to do. What decisions to make. Choices.

"Well, Lu, looks like you've lead me into quite the mess this time..." Hojo couldn't help but to steer a little of his frustration towards the only woman he'd ever loved, seeing how it was her bright idea that he could help their son without any aid from her.

Lucrecia would have known what to do...

"The tests only confirmed what I already suspected..." Hojo sighed and absently brushed away a lock of his stubborn bangs from his face. "The subject known as Kadaj is mutating into a Sephiroth clone, only this one seems to be absorbing his very thoughts as well." A small pause. "I suspect Sephiroth will discover his deterioration soon... He's been demanding my presence all day, but you know how well I am at taking orders..."

This time, Hojo sighed even deeper and leaned down to rest his chin upon his crossed arms as well. "The clone did this so that I would re-consider joining their little party. I believe the notion is that by watching Sephiroth wither towards certain death, my conscience will not allow it and thus I will sacrifice myself to save him." The scientist scoffed with disgust. "How stupid do they think I am?Like I wouldn't see straight through this silly plan of theirs!

Hojo closed his eyes. "By joining them, I will give them what they want and help their plan one step further. If I don't join them... Sephiroth will continue breaking down and eventually die, if they do not kill him themselves in his weakened state." A wry smile followed. "Which means bad luck for me, as when I finally get to see you again, Lu, you'll probably have Sephiroth as company and you'll both be ready to slap me around. You know you always scare me when you throw a hissy fit, and I fear your dear son has inherited that short fuse."

A light breeze came dancing and became a feather light caress over his skin.

Smiling faintly, Hojo could feel Lucrecia's presence. "I told you it wasn't wise to send me off on my own. I've never been any good at this good-guy-act." He slowly opened his eyes, the smile fading from his face. "I don't know what to do..."

Even the breeze fell silent.

Hojo stared emptily ahed. "The easy answer is that I do what they want, of course, and save Sephiroth's life." The dark haired man swallowed hard, having to force himself to continue. "But... I'm uneasy. I fell for Jenova's lure once. We both did, remember? I can feel her calling for me, even as I stand here. What if I fall again?"

The breeze felt like a warm hand trailing along his jawline.

"I know... I know..." Hojo whispered, still gazing into nothingness. "Not much of a choice, huh?"

He hesitated for a few more seconds, trying to postpone what he really didn't want to do, but finally he turned and walked inside. Feeling a strange mixture of resignation, fear and pure anger. Hojo had never been one to avoid the road with tough challenges, and he wasn't about to start now.

Rufus ShinRa failed to hide his surprise at seeing Hojo in his office at that late hour, and his puzzlement didn't lessen at the demand that was put before him: "Call up Kadaj."

Giving a confused shake of his head, Rufus tried in vain to read Hojo's expression. "I've tried contacting him ever since he left the damn phone. He never answers. He wants to talk, then he contacts me."

Hojo managed a wry smile. "Call him. He'll answer."

Rufus slowly gazed from the scientist to the phone on his desk and decided to humor the dark haired man. "Fine, but I doubt..." The phone barely rang twice before Kadaj's voice answered. Quickly gazing back at Hojo, Rufus frowned surprised. "How did you..."

Snatching the phone, Hojo walked over to the window as he placed his to his ear. "Where and when?" A short pause as Kadaj replied, and Hojo heard Rufus standing up but not moving over. "Alright," Hojo muttered to Kadaj. "I'll be there. But my dad says you gotta have me home by ten." He hung up before Kadaj could reply and turned to face the young president.

"What are you doing...?" Rufus half-whispered, "Sephiroth needs you here. We all need you here!"

Hojo held his gaze. "Listen, ShinRa. Keep an eye on Sephiroth, ok? His condition will most likely get worse and he'll weaken. Physically **and** against Jenova's influence."

Rufus shook his head confused. "Why are you doing this?"

Giving a tired smile, Hojo shrugged. "We all have our roles to play, ShinRa. I just know the part as villain much better, so why not stick to what you know, right?"

* * *

_Wake up, Cid Highwind._

"I don't wanna."

_You have to be somewhere, remember?_

"Can't it wait...?"

_Hurry._

"Why now?"

_The time is right. He's waiting._

"It doesn't feel right. I don't..."

_Bring the child._

"What...?"

_Wake up!_

Cid Highwind slowly sat up and blinked drowsily. He wasn't quite sure what had just torn him out of his sleep, but he knew he had to leave the room. A quick glance at Shera, sleeping safely by his side, curled up on her side as if to protect the life within her. A life that the tests had proved free of alien influence.

Reaching out, Cid drew a light hand over her hair before getting out of bed and finding his clothes.

Why was it so important that he was quiet?

The pilot silently made his way out into the hall and gazed evenly at Sephiroth, who was leaning against the wall a small distance away. "Why am I here?"

"Because she told you to," Sephiroth replied neutrally. "Like she told me you would be here."

Cid shook his head, wandering over to gaze out the window. "We have to tell the others."

Sephiroth stalked over to the blonde, taking a firm hold of his arm. "No." The single word was an order, not a suggestion.

Gazing from the punishing grip to Sephiroth's face, Cid's eyes narrowed. "Why. Not?"

"Think about it..." Sephiroth sneered, not releasing the pilot. "They don't have to be involved with this. They're not infected. We are! Do you want more people to die because of you?"

Cid paled, remembering the horrible experience of being forced to sit idly by while others fought and died in his place. Jinrei's hunt for Cid Highwind had cost so many lives, but the blonde himself had survived. Survivor's guilt, Hojo had called it. Feeling like crap was Cid's phrase. "So... what are ya suggesting then? We talk to Hojo?"

Sephiroth loosened his grip slightly. "Hojo is gone. He left." A flicker of what in his eyes? It was gone too soon to tell. "I've fought Jenova before. I can do it again." A faint grin. "And I'm guessing you wont mind a little revenge yourself?"

A moment of hesitation. A voice that belonged to neither man whispered softly in their brains.

Finally Cid nodded. "Alright... It's only fair it should end with us."

Nodding as well, Sephiroth moved his hand up to rest on the blonde's shoulder. "Couldn't agree more." He then cleared his throat. "One more thing, though..."

Cid frowned suspiciously. "What...?"

"We need to bring the kid," Sephiroth said cautiously. "Strife's boy."

The pilot merely rubbed his eyes for a while, a fierce inner battle raging, but finally he nodded and started walking down the hall. "We can take one of the smaller planes. They can't track us that easily then."

Sephiroth absently placed a hand on the hilt of the Masamune, almost as if to check if the sword really was there. "Agreed. I'll get the kid and meet you by the plane."

"We wont have much time. The guards are bound to run to Rufus the second the plane take off," Cid declared, lighting up a cigarette. "I doubt they wont be suspicious of a plane taking off in the middle of the night..." He glanced over at Sephiroth, reptile eyes meeting reptile eyes. "We only have one try."

Sephiroth grinned. "That's all I need."

* * *

Rufus sat up so abruptly that he nearly sent Tifa tumbling to the floor from where she'd been sleeping half-way over his chest. "What!" 

The brunette struggled her way to freedom from the clingy sheets and the wilderness of her hair before she was able to glare at her husband, who was clearly on the phone, getting news that didn't please him. Fair enough, she didn't like getting bad news either, but it wasn't like she would kick him out of bed for it! She waited patiently, arranging the sheets around herself, until Rufus yelled a; "find out!" And when he flung the phone away, Tifa was about to throw a snarky question when she saw the look on his face. "Oh, dear Planet... What? What's happened?"

Jumping out of bed, snatching his clothes along, Rufus managed a choked laugh. "Sephiroth and Cid just stole a plane." He then paused briefly, unable to meet her eyes. "They have Raito."

Tifa felt the colour draining from her face and ice cold fear filled her. "What...?" Her voice was nothing but a faint whisper. She quickly scrambled out of bed and shook her head in denial. "They wouldn't do that! Why would they do something like that? WHY?" Tifa barely noticed Rufus calling her name. "No. No! They wouldn't! Not Sephiroth! Especially not Cid! Cid wouldn't kidnap a baby!" She didn't notice her own tears at all. "They wouldn't harm a baby, would they?"

Feeling a violent surge of anger towards the two fugitives, Rufus took Tifa's face gently between his hands and made her meet his eyes. "Listen, I'm sure Raito is fine. Like you said; Sephiroth and Cid wont harm him. They probably have some half-assed plan, which I'm going to ruin and drag them back by their ears!"

Tifa choked out a weak laugh as she sniffled, then she started again with fear. "The twins...!"

"The kids are fine," Rufus reassured calmly, stroking away a tear with his thumb.

Wine coloured eyes met sea blue eyes, and Tifa drew a shivering breath. "Not all the kids..."

Rufus hesitated, then released her to focus on getting dressed. "He'll be fine, Tifa."

The brunette sank down on the floor, wrapping her arms around herself. "Cloud left me behind when he discovered he was sick. He didn't trust me to be able to handle it. And now I've failed his son as well!"

Exhaling angrily, Rufus didn't bother to button up his shirt after tugging it on, but turned to gaze at Tifa. "Stop it! Who knows why Cloud left, but I seriously doubt he did it to punish you! And I said I was going to get Raito back, didn't I?"

Tifa nodded, slightly angry at herself for being so whiny. "I know. I'm sorry... I just..."

Softening, Rufus tried a smile. "Hey... You keep thinking you can rescue everyone, Tifa, but sometimes..." He sighed. "It's time you let Cloud go..."

"But not his son without a fight," Tifa declared, soft but firmly. "He doesn't have anyone else, Rufus. We're the closest he has to a family."

The young ShinRa nodded as well. "I'll get him back. I promise."

Tifa got up on her feet again, moving over to help him button his shirt. "And you... Do you promise to bring yourself back as well?"

Rufus managed a real smile this time. "I think I made a promise to never leave you again some time ago..."

"Promise me again," Tifa insisted in a strained voice, not taking her eyes of her fingers working on the buttons.

Placing a hand over hers, forcing her to meet his eyes again, Rufus held her gaze intensely. "I'll return to you and the kids, Tifa, and I'll bring Strife junior with me as well. Ok?"

Tifa nodded, smiling through tears. "Ok."

"Ok," Rufus repeated, sealing the deal, and stole a soft kiss. "And I trust you'll be able to hold the fort here? After Hojo decided to jump ship, I don't trust Kadaj and his gang to do something foolish. Be careful."

Brushing away a lock of his hair, Tifa studied his face for a few seconds. "I know. But they've got to be pretty stupid to anger me anymore than what Sephiroth and Cid has already done."

Rufus grinned. "That's my girl."

"Always," Tifa promised softly, and pulled him into a tight embrace. "Always and forever yours."

* * *

Aeris left the puzzled Zefiris in Tifa's arms and numbly walked out of the room. 

She needed to think.

Needed time to accept what she'd just been told, and then a little more time to actually believe it.

Sephiroth and Cid had stolen a plane and kidnapped Raito, almost precisely 24 hours after Hojo had left them as well.

The flower girl placed her hands flat against the window out in the hall and leaned her forhead against the cool surface, trying to remember how to breathe. How could this have happened? How could she have failed to see the signs?

Last night, she had been by Sephiroth's side. She'd seen the shock and disbelief at the news of Hojo. Aeris should have seen this reaction coming, but it just didn't make any sense!

Unless you added Jenova into everything.

Sephiroth. Cid. Raito. The ones remaining with Jenova cells still in them.

But still, why would Sephiroth fall under her influence now? The alien voice had been silent for years!

Silent, but not gone, obviously.

Had Kadaj done something to Sephiroth after all?

Aeris remembered Sephiroth complaining about being constantly tired. Why had she not reacted? Why hadn't she realised something was wrong? WHY?

Drawing a deep breath, the half-Cetra forced herself calm and focused on what to do, instead of flat out panicking. Panicking did sound very tempting at the moment, but it wouldn't really help.

Sephiroth and Cid had snatched Raito for a reason. Jenova was summoning them, the ones with the Jenova cells, like she had done all those years ago when Aeris first met Cloud. That would mean the three brothers had to know about this. Jenova was most likely summoning Sephiroth and Cid to join the three, right?

Aeris turned and started walking towards the elevator. Tifa had told her Rufus and the others had a meeting at the conference room, and she had to talk to them all. Make them understand that to get Sephiroth and Cid back, Aeris had to talk to that man again.

Yazoo.

He didn't want Jenova to succeed either.

Right?

Aeris pressed the button with a trembling hand, preparing herself to the objections she knew would come. But in the end they had to realise that the maverick Yazoo was their only hope of reaching their friends again. He would help, Aeris was sure of it!

Almost sure, anyway...

She could feel the disturbance in the Lifestream, so Aeris figured the three had not left the Lost City yet. If she could only make contact with Yazoo there, he could lead her to Sephiroth! The flower girl nodded to herself as she entered the elevator, trying to convince herself before hoping to convince the others. It wasn't like they had much choice!

First Vincent. Then Hojo. And now Sephiroth and Cid.

Swallowing back despair, Aeris gazed out the glass walls of the elevator. "Oh, Cloud... You would have known what to do... You wouldn't have let this happen... You would have seen the signals, wouldn't you?" She closed her eyes, unable to stand her own reflection. "It doesn't matter how much we try... None of us are heroes, I guess... You were the only one..."

It was amazing how the loss of Cloud was still as sharp as if he'd disappeared the day before. Aeris wrapped her arms around herself, making a silent promise that she would not let her daughter experience the loss of her father like the flower girl had.

"I'm on my way, Sephiroth. Just hang in there, and watch over Cid and Raito. Whatever it takes, stay alive!"

* * *

Cid hoisted the sleeping Raito slightly after he'd nearly slipped and glared annoyed over at Sephiroth. "You sure about this?" He could think of a bunch of other places they could be, other than the frigging Northern Crater! It was damn freezing! Blizzards and ice on the ground was not his favorite things! 

The silver haired man continued to make his way down the narrow path like it was his second home, and didn't even slow down at the question. "I'm sure."

Grumbling, the blonde resumed the descent as well, but not without colourful curses all the way. It was probably a good thing that Sephiroth had cast Sleep on Raito, or the child would've probably been traumatized at the foul language. Or, even more traumatized was perhaps more accurate. You didn't see what he did when the silver haired men tried to snatch him and not dream about it. Raito had already had a rougher life than most kids his age. Cid felt a light twinge at his conscience, but it vanished when they finally reached the end of the path and found themselves staring at the entrance to a huge cave.

"We're here," Sephiroth whispered, admiring the sight for a second, before walking into the darkness. Leaving the pilot to hesitate a few second before following.

The walk in the pitch black lasted only a brief moment, before a door slid up in front of them and light spilled out. A door? Cid glanced up at it when he followed Sephiroth inside and realised that it was really a door. A metal door. That slid down behind him, as he stood staring at the room they'd just entered.

It was in fact a room. A human made room, filled with all kinds of tables and containers. Big containers. Big enough to room people.

Cid found himself standing in an under-ground lab, hidden in the depths of the Crater. "Who...?"

"Jinrei," Sephiroth answered softly, glancing around curiously as well. "He planned to do research on Mother here..."

Frowning, Cid hoisted Raito again. "Research on who...?"

Sephiroth warily glanced over. "On Jenova." He then turned to face him. "You know why we're here, right?"

"Not really," Cid admitted, "I don't even know why I agreed..."

"Because Jenova is taking over our minds," Sephiroth growled, absently picking up an abandoned scalpel to test the sharp edge on his thumb. "She's been whispering in my head for days now. I suspect she has done the same to you. She brought us here." He watched as a drop of blood appeared when the blade cut his skin. "You know... Even if we kill the three copies, we wont solve a thing. Jenova will return. Do you know why?"

Cid clenched his jaw, feeling fear tingling up his spine.

"Because her cells live on," Sephiroth continued, holding the pilot's gaze fiercly. "They live on inside us." He tossed the scalpel away, ignoring how it tore into the wall like an unspoken threat. "For Jenova to die, her cells have to die. And you want her to die, don't you, Cid? You want this to stop too!"

A couple of seconds passed before Cid replied, and his answer was a harsh and silent laugh. Shaking his head, he slowly gazed over at the silver haired man. "You got no IDEA how sick'n tired I am of that Jenova, or how much I want all of it to end. Heck, I don't mind dying if that would just make sure she was gone for good!"

Sephiroth nodded, relieved.

"But..." Cid added silently, and he sounded so tired. "I can't let you kill the kid..."

Taking a step towards them, Sephiroth's eyes narrowed. "Cid... You can't even stand your own child, and you're protecting this one? "

Cid stuck his chin out and glared back at him. "When I was a brat myself, my parents died in car accident in Midgar, right outside the house we were living in. Or, I thought it was an accident, but last year ShinRa discovered that Jinrei was behind the car crash. He wanted the damn materia. After that, I got shipped off to foster families in the slums. I say families 'cause I rarely got to stay more than a few months before the adults got arrested or something."

Cid's eyes slowly turned back to their bright blue colour, the reptile slit widening until it had a normal round shape again. "When I was eight, the father of the family I was living with decided I'd taken his liquor for some reason, and he tried to kill me. I still got the scar from his knife on my throat. After that, I decided to fend for myself and started living on the street. Any idea how tough it is for a kid to survive on his own? Especially on the streets of Midgar?"

Sephiroth slowly placed a hand on the Masamune. "But you survived!"

"Yeah, the first thing you learn is to take care of yourself. No one else matters." Cid shifted Raito over to hold him with one arm, getting out the Venus Gospel with the other hand. "But I would probably have died anyway after a really nasty fight, if not this guy had passed by and happened to have Restore materia on him. He was a ShinRa pilot." He got into a fighting position, slightly awkward with the added weight of Raito. "Shera never asks for anything, that's why she can stand me, but a kid is different. I'm a selfish guy, Sephiroth. I can't seem to shake that habit. Not the ideal dad, huh? I was yelled at and ignored enough as a brat. Don't ever wanna expose a kid to that. Especially not my own"

Cid spun the Venus Gospel, ready for battle. "But no way am I gonna stand by and let a kid die!"

* * *

_AN; I finally did it! I defied the laws of nature, and managed to get this chapter finished by tonight! Yay for me! Things are certainly darker now and I have to warn you that they're going to become a bit darker too. At least I can promise action in the next chapter, for those who have missed my dreadful fight scenes! Thanks to everyone who is still reading and especially to the ones who take the time to leave a few words behind!_


	10. Torn

**10. Torn**

-

_This chapter is dedicated to Tishannia, thegr8Sephiroth, James Firecat, Selunchen123, emerald drake, Lady Nephenee Ranulf, turtlerad17, Shinz, Great Beaver, Trance, Asga, Kit Thespian, Ryuho Master of Zetsuei, and cozmicomicollector._

_Thank you for giving me the support and inspiration for this!_

_-_

The falling snow seemed to calm by the Northern Crater, and the easing wind gave an almost false sense of peace.

Even a Black Dragon saw a minor monster run by and decided not to chase it, but rather enjoy the closest thing they got up to tranquility up there. The dragon inhaled the different scents in the air, curling it's wings against it's body as it's eyes drifted shut. Dragons knew when to rest before the calm was broken.

Because it was always broken. Eventually, and brutally.

A few hundred meters away, inside a laboratory hidden beneath the mountain, Cid Highwind and General Sephiroth was staring at each other.

Both appeared to be unwilling to make the first move, measuring the other while seeking an opening to attack, but by now they had glared at each other for so long that one of them had to charge or they had to start dating.

That's when Cid ran.

Cid Highwind was a lot of thing, but an idiot he was not. He knew he had no chance of defeating Sephiroth on his own. They had barely managed to stop the Sephiroth-clone when the entire AVALANCHE was fighting against it, and a lone dragoon with a child incapacitating his left arm did not have a flicker of hope against the war-machine. He knew his only hope was trying to get out of the lab, into the open air, and really make a run for it.

The pilot managed about three steps, before he was forced to spin around and raise the Venus Gospel in front of him to ward off the Masamune as Sephiroth came leaping towards him.

The impact alone sent shocks of pain up Cid's arm and he stumbled a few more steps back. How was it possible to be that strong? And more importantly, was it even possible to escape someone that strong?

Spinning the Venus Gospel by his side, the blonde watched warily and backed up even more as Sephiroth came stalking towards him. His pulse was hammering and fear made his fingers tingle. Block the fear. Focus!

A flash of silver, and Cid barely got the Venus Gospel turned to prevent the infamous sword from separating his head from the rest of him, the second impact even harder than the first, and he lashed out to make Sephiroth jump away again. A quick glance at the exit and a weak sense of panic at how far it seemed, but also a flame of stubbornness burning fiercely. Focus, Cid Highwind!

Sephiroth rushed towards him again, and several attacks followed, one of them leaving a thin line of blood on the side of Cid's neck. The pilot stumbled back by each defensive move that was slammed against and he was breathing hard as Sephiroth fell back into his fighting stance a small distance away.

Heck, maybe Shera was right and he should stop smoking?

Cid grinned, spinning the Venus Gospel.

Nah.

The smile seemed to infuriate Sephiroth further and he rushed towards his former ally again, weapons clashing and sparks flying, forcing the blonde to back up some more. Instinct more than anything made Cid able to block the Masamune, as it seemed to come at him from every angle and at impossible speed. Raito felt like he was growing heavier by the seconds, and Sephiroth was slowly driving the blonde away from the door. A few attempts at aiming for freedom was rewarded with a cut to his thigh and a heavily bleeding wound in his side.

Cid managed a quick Cure3 before he was forced to dodge yet another attack, with countless more following.

Running, blocking and curing the wounds as they appeared, Cid thought his luck had finally changed when he saw Sephiroth miss completely with his latest lunge.

Then Cid realised one very important thing; Sephiroth did not mistakes in battles.

The silver haired man wasn't aiming for the pilot!

Why Cid did it, the pilot would never understand. Would never be able to figure out why it suddenly was so important to protect the child in his arms. Some ShinRa shrink would probably argue that it was some issues with guilt concerning his own unborn child he'd neglected, or his own childhood trauma, but Cid knew he was too shallow for any of that. He prided himself in that.

So, he'd never be able to explain why he turned that way, placing himself between Sephiroth and Raito, and held the little boy into safety as the Masamune tore through his back and came piercing out his chest. He didn't even panic. Cid knew what a sword through the chest felt like. He knew it hurt like nothing else.

-

Masamune retreated, leaving a world of pain, as Cid crashed to his knees and coughed out the blood that threatened to choke him.

A silence followed, only broken by the pilot's efforts to breathe, and a brief glance back at his attacked revealed the pale and shocked look on Sephiroth's face. Cid managed a weak smile, glad to see a flicker of sanity on his friend's face again, but knew it wouldn't last long. Just like himself.

So tired and dizzy, Cid had to force himself with every ounce of his remaining energy to keep from passing out and tried to utter the words to the cure spell. Sephiroth had obviously missed the heart this time, but hit a lung instead. That made talking, and breathing, very difficult.

Sephiroth couldn't believe what he had just done. Couldn't understand why Cid was kneeling and coughing blood because of him. Strange feelings kept flowing through him, everything from raging guilt to the thrill of the kill. What was happening to him?

A flicker of magic and suddenly the pilot was on the move again, making Sephiroth snap into pursuit. No one should be able to move after that injury! But the blonde ran at an amazing speed towards the door and rammed his shoulder into it, slamming it open and he tumbled out into the snow.

Halting in the doorway, Sephiroth absently cut the air with the Masamune as he watched Cid struggle up on his knees, still holding that damn kid, and gazed at his attacker with... an apologetic look?

"Don't... kill him..." Cid whispered, ready to collapse as the snowflakes landed on him to melt and mingle with the blood.

Sephiroth shook his head, taking a step towards him, about to explain that the kid had to die. They all had to die. The ones carrying the Jenova cells, they all had to die!

A terrible bright light exploded from Cid and sent the silver haired man flying backwards. He rolled to a halt and jumped to his feet, staring with disbelief at the pillar of energy shooting towards the sky from the pilot and he realised the words had not be spoken to him. Cid had asked the dragon not to kill Sephiroth...

The Water Dragon took shape within the energy and it's roar sent the monsters of the Northern Crater fleeing. Panlong felt it's existance threatened and it knew it had to reach Midgar to survive. Fast. With the blue crystal safely in one clawed paw, it cradled the still form of Raito in the other. These were to be protected.

Staring at the huge, coiling beast, Sephiroth clutched the Masamune harder. Was turning into a huge dragon considered cheating? Having a sword like Masamune was probably considered cheating too then...

That was when he saw the dragon aiming to flee, swirling it's way up of the crater, and Sephiroth started into action.

Leaping up, he reached the huge beast and drove the Masamune deep into it's shoulder, causing it to howl with pain and crash into the mountain wall.

The silver haired man barely avoided being crushed between the massive creature and the rock surface, but used the chance to tear the sword free and lash out again, vaguely noticing how he did no damage to the dragon, but blood was starting to drip from the crystal between it's claws. A cut to the long neck. A stab between the shoulder blades. Another lash at the neck. Sephiroth aimed to drive the Masamune through the sleek head, but was only rewarded with the feeling of fangs leaving a deep cut in his upper arm as he narrowly avoided getting his entire limb chomped off.

Panlong was furious.

Sephiroth finally lost balance as the Water Dragon coiled itself around to reach it's attacker, and he tried to make an effort to land on his feet as well as keeping a somewhat defensive stance as he fell. He actually heard his ribs break when the scaly body rammed into him, the fangs barely missing his torso this time, but it's shoulder trapped him against the rock wall. Raw, numbing pain shot through him, and Sephiroth failed to hold back a choked scream. Agony flooded his brain, but there was no time to dwell on it. He had to keep moving! Or it was all over!

Managing to free himself, somehow, Sephiroth finally landed on the ground and went down on one knee. It hurt so much to breathe!

A roar made him glance up and he saw the huge dragon racing towards him, it's mouth open to reveal the fangs promising a painful death. The silver haired warrior suddenly felt small and powerless.

However, Sephiroth forced himself up on his feet.

Slowly getting into a fighting stance, lifting the Masamune with trembling hands and bitterly determined eyes.

The image of Aeris in prayer flickered in front of Sephiroth's mind as the jaws came thundering down towards him, and he cried out as he jumped up with the Masamune to greet them.

-

If a glare could kill, Hojo would have been dead, brought back to life yet another time, only to be killed by it again.

Yazoo couldn't put enough poison in his glare as he tried to will the dark haired scientist into having some sort of embarrassing and horribly painful disease. Their first meeting had been right outside of Midgar, and the silver haired man hadn't been too happy about having to fetch the man. But the meeting with the legendary Hojo did nothing to improve Yazoo's mood. If anything, Hojo had firmly killed whatever hope Yazoo had about the fates not hating his guts.

From the moment he'd come to a halt, his bike sliding side-ways to stop a few inches from the stoic Hojo, there had been trouble.

Hojo had obviously no affection for the means of transportation, and the look he'd sent Yazoo made the younger man feel like he'd been singled out and tsk'ed at by every professor at school in front of all the other students! (Not that Yazoo had ever been to a school, or ever had a professor, or even been tsk'ed at, but he was pretty darn sure that was how it must have felt like!) Hojo had eyed the means of transportation and the one riding it with little less than sour disdain, and a mutual dislike was founded.

Yazoo didn't know why Hojo had decided to dislike him, but at least he knew he disliked the scientist for the snooty and patronizing glare that had greeted him on their first meeting! It didn't help that Kadaj had been so openly happy to see the cranky bat, and the two had been mumbling to each other for hours now without letting Yazoo or Loz hear what was going on!

Yazoo grumbled annoyed, turning away from the unlikely duo, only to see a flicker of pink by a glowing tree.

Great! Now Hojo got Yazoo so worked up that he was hallucinating. Not only was he seeing things, but he was actually conjuring up the image of the half-Cetra of all things! Wait. No way. It couldn't be...

Starting violently, the young man cast a quick glance over at Kadaj to make sure he wasn't being watched, then stormed over to where he'd seen his 'vision'.

Yazoo circled the tree and his eyes narrowed with anger. "What are you going here?" He hissed furiously, casting another glance in his brother's direction. "Are you crazy? No, don't bother answering that. I know you are! You must be, or you wouldn't be here! But are you suicidal as well? Are you trying to get us both killed?"

The flower girl managed a faint smile from where she was standing with her back against the huge tree. "I'm sorry, but I had to talk to you..."

Snorting, Yazoo crossed his arms. "You're crazy alright!" Then he tensed even more as he sensed more presences near by. "And you brought the cavalry..."

Another faint smile, almost apologetic, and Aeris reached out to touch by his elbow. "I'm sorry, but they wouldn't let me go alone. They promised not to bother us."

"That's nice," Yazoo sneered. "I'll remember that when Kadaj kills us all!"

Aeris took a step towards the silver haired man. "I need your help... You have to help me... Please..."

"If you ever considered a career within the stealth business, girl, I strongly advice you against it!" A voice suddenly drawled, and the two started around to see Hojo eyeing them with a dry look. "A deaf chocobo would have heard your sneaking."

Yazoo growled and placed a hand on his weapon. "Kadaj told you to...?"

"Oh, calm down and go comb your hair or something," Hojo scoffed, walking pass the younger man to eye the half-Cetra. Completely ignoring how Yazoo's jaw fell slightly in disbelief at the words, as well as his reaching for his gun. "Kadaj told me to bring a few of my samples with Jenova cells to boost his growth. I might have... accidentally given him some tranquilizers instead, so you're safe at the moment. Somewhat safe, I suppose, as it wont be long before Chaos smells your little friend here."

Exhaling, Aeris managed a true smile this time. "Hojo... Be nice. I need to talk to him. I need his help."

Hojo scoffed again. "Nice? May I remind you that I am currently kidnapped by the Diaper Brigade! And what you need, little girl, is to get your little behind back home to Midgar. Sephiroth is going to kill me if he finds out I let you go on a date with one of these homicidal brats." He didn't even deign to acknowledge the angry sputters from one of the said homicidal brats behind him.

Aeris swallowed hard. "Your son seems set on following in your footsteps, Hojo. He vanished too. Only he brought Cid and Raito with him to wherever Jenova told him to go." She paused to gather herself enough to form more words. "I need to find him..."

Hojo didn't reply for a few seconds, then he finally nodded. "Very well." He cleared his throat awkwardly when the brunette threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. A few more seconds passed, then Hojo inhaled slowly. "Aeris...?"

"Yes?"

"You're not going to let go before I return the hug, do you?" He could feel her smile against his neck.

"No."

"Ah." The dark haired scientist hesitated slightly before placing one embarrassed arm around her waist and patting her shoulder lightly with the other one. "Still not playing fair, Aeris..."

Releasing him with a tear-stained laugh after a little while, Aeris smiled bravely up at him. "I learned from the best."

-

Yazoo glared with all his might as Hojo turned to leave, and even tried to appear unfazed when the dark haired man made him take an unknowing step away when passing him. If people thought slit-pupil eyes were creepy, they should try to stare down Hojo's golden-brown gaze!

"And tell ShinRa I'm disappointed that he's being out-smarted by three hooligans and allowing them to blackmailing him into letting me be kidnapped!" Hojo muttered before vanishing back to wherever he'd been.

Holding his gun so hard that his hand was trembling, Yazoo snorted with fury and disbelief as he stared at Aeris. "How can you even stand that man?"

Aeris shrugged, still with her faint smile. "You just have to treat him decently. He's a good man, really." She drew a shivering breath. "We owe him a lot. Me and Sephiroth."

Yazoo holstered his gun, frowning at the sad note in her voice. "Somehow I find it hard to picture him even spitting on an orphanage on fire to fight the flames. So do tell, what do you want from me?"

Green eyes flickered with heart-ache and she finally glanced up at him. "Jenova took Sephiroth from me. I have to get him back. Before he hurts himself, or Cid and Raito."

"I told you, half-blood, I'm not on your little team," Yazoo sneered haughtily. "I have no reason to help you. With the way Mother has been acting lately, she probably suspects me of having helped you enough already! Now scoot on back home! Scoot!"

Aeris suddenly reached out and took a hold of his shirt, holding his eyes intently with her own. "You know what it's like! You know! You know how it feels when you're fighting against an invisible enemy to save someone you care about! Someone you care about enough to risk your own life!" The flower girl was trembling. "Please." Her voice nothing but a desperate whisper. "I have to find him. I have to save him..."

The initial shock slowly turned into something else, and Yazoo tilted his head as he watched the emotions flow in her eyes. Yes, he did know. He **did **understand what he saw in her gaze. It scared him how **much **he understood her need to save someone who mattered to her. He understood just too well!

There was a small squeak of surprise when Yazoo took a hold of her shoulders, but it was soon muffled by his lips against hers. A kiss that turned Yazoo's indifferent nature into an inferno, and he felt a wave of bliss when she didn't fight against him. The silver haired man did not fool himself into believing it came from anything but shock, but for that moment he was allowed to savour his first kiss and shiver at the intensity of it all. The air around them was suddenly charged and he felt the flower girl tremble weakly as her lips softened against his. An act of submission in fear, or a whisper of returned feelings?

The possibility of it being either of the two options yanked Yazoo back to reality and he barely withdrew, whispering against her lips. "Home. Mother probably called him home. North. You'll find them there."

Aeris stared wide eyed after him as the young man turned and left, walking away without a word, and leaving her to slowly sink down to sit on the ground with her back against the tree. Her heart was thundering and shame made her face burn. She knew, just knew, how different her life would become if she called out after Yazoo now. How he would never hurt her like Sephiroth. That he would never pull away from her. Never try to make things right on his own. Yazoo would never think saving the world was worth giving up his own life for.

Yazoo was fire and Sephiroth was ice. Both could burn her, but only Sephiroth could leave her numb and covered with hopeless frost.

Drawing a trembling breath, Aeris felt tears filling her eyes again. If she called out, Yazoo would turn around, and who knew what would happen? The brunette slowly closed her eyes, feeling a tear slide down her skin, whispering the words she knew Yazoo wouldn't hear. "Thank you."

What, exactly, she was thanking him for, Aeris wasn't too sure herself.

All she knew was that there was only a minor flaw in the thought of calling out for a chance with someone else; Aeris loved Sephiroth.

Love isn't something you can decide. You can't switch it on and off when it serves your best interest to do so.

Love is almost a living and breathing creature itself. It twists and turns, going where the heart wants and leaving the mind to despair.

You can't decide who you love, how you love them, how much, or even for how long.

Sometimes, however, you have to let the ones you love go.

Other times, you have to fight with everything you have to keep them.

-

Rufus kept a weary gaze at the glowing forrest a small distance away from where he was standing on an airship. He hated to let Aeris go on her own, but he didn't have much choice, did he? Sephiroth might kill him for letting Aeris wander into danger alone, but it was the silver haired man who had forced them into this situation! A sigh escaped his lips, and Rufus flicked a lock of his hair back. Things was never going to be easy with Sephiroth around, were they?

The thing that bothered the young ShinRa the most was the fact that he hadn't seen it coming.

Rufus had been completely content in trusting his so-called friend that he'd lowered his guard. Stupid. Stupid! And because of Rufus' lack of vigilance, a little boy might get killed.

Tifa would never forgive him, and Rufus doubted he'd even forgive himself.

Cloud Strife was an idiot, but his son was innocent.

"You think she's gonna be ok?" Barret stepped up beside Rufus, amazingly quiet for once.

Rufus sighed again. "I don't know..."

Silence followed for a while, then Barret huffed a slight smile. "Ya know... Aeris managed to outsmart you folks for quite some time. Don't think we should be underestimating her."

"But ShinRa never sent three crazy guys set on destroying the world after her," Rufus mumbled distantly. "These guys are unpredictable. They're capable of hurting and killing just for the fun of it. Sephiroth said so himself."

Then there was the incredibly loud and sharp sound of gun fire as Barret fired his gun arm into the air. "Sephiroth! Don't even **mention **that damn foo!"

Starting violently, Rufus jumped away before exploding into anger. "Has anyone told you you have a SERIOUS impulse problem?"

Barret placed a hand over his gun arm and raised an eyebrow as he glanced drily over at the younger man. "Don't anger the brother with the gun arm, yo."

Rufus clenched his jaw so hard it hurt before forcing himself to stare at the forrest again, trying to will Aeris into sight.

"All I'm saying is that Aeris ain't no damsel in distress," Barret continued. "The girl knows who she's up against. She's fought battles like these before."

Rufus gave a wry smile. "Feminine charms work poorly against a gun, Barret."

"Against guns, true, but I know they work like greens to catch a chocobo when it comes to the guy aiming the gun," Barret grinned, "Aeris is prolly gonna outlive us all."

"And Raito?" Rufus asked softly.

Barret reached out and placed his human hand on the fiery haired man's weary shoulder. "Man, yer forgetting one very important thing while yer beating yerself up over this."

Rufus snorted and glanced over. "And what's that?"

A faint smile. "Cid." Barret gave the shoulder a light squeeze before releasing him. "Sephy might have gone mental on our asses, but there's no way Highwind is gonna let the nutter hurt a kid."

Shaking his head, Rufus fought against the urge to try calling Sephiroth's PHS again despite how he knew it was left behind in Midgar. "Cid went with him, remember? He's probably in Jenova's control too."

"Some people, ShinRa, can't be controlled," Barret sounded almost melancholic. "Cid's one of those. Not many of them in da world, true, but he be one. Ever seen how stubborn that man can be?"

"If Sephiroth fell under Jenova's control, then Cid doesn't stand a chance!" Rufus realised he was constantly torn between anger and worry, and once again he wasn't in control. "I'm sorry, but Sephiroth is the strongest of us all!"

"That's where you're wrong."

Rufus and Barret spun around to see Aeris standing behind them.

The flower girl wrapped her arms around herself, gazing sadly at them. "When it comes to Jenova, Sephiroth is weak." She met Barret's gaze. "Cid is our only hope now."

"Where are they?" Rufus demanded, stalking over to take a hold of her upper arm. "Did they tell you?"

"North," Aeris whispered. "Jenova called them home."

-

A blizzard was raging at the Northern Crater and Rufus closed his eyes hard as the helicopter shook violently. "Are you **sure **you can do this?"

Reno grinned widely, forcing the aircraft lower despite the winds efforts. "Don't worry, Boss. Helicopters and women are my thing, remember?"

Rufus closed his eyes nervously again when he felt them tilt dangerously. "Just get us down alive, ok?"

"Relaaax! Hey, I'm the one who said you didn't have to tag along!" Reno tightened his grip slightly and slowly made their way through the worst part of the snow. "But did you listen? No! Why listen to Reno? I mean, the guy is only paid to keep the President alive!"

The hyperbole ended abruptly once the helicopter touched solid ground, and the Turk gave a slight nod. They were there. Rock bottom. Ground zero.

In the back, Rude got up and checked his gloves while Elena started preparing the weapons.

Barret glanced cautiously over at Seto. "You gonna be ok walking out there? The snow is pretty high."

The beast nodded, already slinking towards the exit. "I'll manage. Let's only hope I'll be able to catch their scent in this weather..."

The small group made their way out of the aircraft, leaving Reno behind to guard it, and started the last descent into the darkness of the Northern Crater. The snow made their path slippery and heavy to wade through. It was almost enough to take their courage away when suddenly Seto halted.

"I smell them... " Seto lifted his face to the angry wind. "I smell... blood."

A quick exchange of worried looks before they continued, following Seto's trail as he struggled through the snow. It was Barret who spoke next.

"I see something!" The large man trotted eagerly ahead, plowing his way through the snow with renewed energy now that he could make out a figure a small distance away. And true enough, Barret saw it was Sephiroth sitting against the rock wall. "It's Sephy!"

Rufus started violently, making his way over as Barret was kneeling down beside the fallen man. "Is he alive?"

Barret nodded, glancing back at the others with a frown. "He's alive, but the man is messed up bad. Got some serious cuts here." He glanced back at the silver haired man when Rufus kneeled down beside them as well. "We'd better get him out of here before the cold finished what the beating didn't."

"Oh dear Planet..." Elena's whisper was barely heard through the raging blizzard, but the horror in her voice caught everyone's attention. Even Rude chose to leave the unconscious Sephiroth behind and walk over to her side. They could see him start violently as he too stared at what was behind the turn.

Rufus struggled to his feet. "What?" He made his way over to the two Turks. "What is..." His voice trailed away at the sight that met him.

Blood everywhere. On the steep rock walls, painting them with crimson streaks. Mixing with the snow on the ground. In the deep scars in the mountains from unnatural claws tearing into them. So much blood.

And Cid Highwind lying in the middle of the small clearing. Curled up, half on his side, half on his stomach.

"No, man... No!" Barret got up abruptly and ran over, not stopping until he fell to his knees beside the blonde. "Ya ain't dead, ya fool! Y'hear?" With a trembling human hand, he reached out and gently moved Cid. His surprise did not decrease when he revealed Raito, still asleep, underneath the pilot. "Dammit, Cid..."

"What happened here?" Rufus asked with quiet horror. "Why would..."

"Ain't no time be asking whys!" Barret snapped angrily. "We gotta get them outta this here snow! Get'em back to Midgar!"

They started into action. Elena cradled Raito close, Barret and Rufus hoisted Cid up, while Rude walked over to Sephiroth. However, the moment the Turk touched by him, there was a low murmur.

"Sephiroth?" Rude kneeled down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Can you confirm hearing me?"

"He held back..."

"What?" The Turk leaned slightly closer. "I didn't hear..."

"I tried to kill him, and he... held back..." Sephiroth mumbled absently, followed by the ghost of an agonized excuse for a laughter. "Held back the dragon... Wouldn't let it kill me..."

Rude hesitated for a moment, but as no more words were spoken, the Turk got up and pulled the silver haired man with him.

Shera gazed in through the window, watching as the nurse made her final touch on the IV while the doctor came out of the room.

-

"He's not going to make it, is he?" Shera said silently, crossing her arms in an effort to stay gathered, yet not taking her eyes of the still form of Cid Highwind in the white bed. So very still. So pale.

The doctor glanced in through the window as well, clutching his file close. A moment passed. Then he sighed and avoided looking at her. "I'm sorry..."

A shiver went through Shera and her arms tightened as her eyes filled with tears. "Yeah... Me too..." She swallowed hard. "Can I...?"

Nodding, the doctor made his escape. "Go ahead."

Shera hesitated for a moment, but then drew a deep breath and entered the room. Waiting by the door until the nurse left. And only then did she manage to make her way over to Cid's side. "Hey again, Captain..."

"Hey, yerself..." Cid slurred drowsily, struggling to open his eyes. "Raito...? And Sephiroth... Is he...?"

Sitting down on the side of the bed, taking one of his hands in hers, Shera cleared her throat. "Raito never got a scratch, and you prevented him from freezing to death by shielding him from the snow. Sephiroth's going to be fine according to the doctors. Healing fast."

Cid gave a weak nod.

"Just like you," Shera added and clutched his hand a little harder. He felt cold.

"Liar," Cid mumbled with a weak grin.

He always knew when she was lying, Shera realised as she stared down at their hands. All these years, and she could never lie good enough for him to actually believe it. "Cid, I..."

Blue eyes under heavy eyelashes finally focused on her and Cid managed a faint shake of his head. "Don't." Silence followed until he drew a slow and deep breath. "Listen, when that kid comes along, Shera..."

Starting, Shera gazed quickly up at his face.

"When that kid comes along, you tell him his daddy is sorry he couldn't be there to meet him, yeah...?" The pilot forced the agonizing taste of regret away. "You tell him... his daddy acted like an idiot, but... he really wanted to be there..."

Shera trembled hard as tears began pouring from her eyes. "Cid, please..."

A weak squeeze of his hand and Cid closed his eyes. "S'okay, Shera..."

"No, it's not!" The brunette choked out through the tears. "It's not okay! This... This isn't fair!"

Cid gave another faint and tired smile. "Life ain't ever fair, Shera..." He forced his eyes open again to look at her. "But you tell our kid that I'm sorry, ok? And you make sure... he doesn't end up like no pansy ass... Show him the sky, Shera..."

"I will," Shera whispered as she leaned down to gently rest her head on his chest, silently weeping as her heart shattered. "And I will tell him I love his daddy so much..."

The blonde swallowed hard, having trouble fighting against the urge to join Shera in screaming that it wasn't fair. "And, Shera...? Don't blame Sephiroth..."

Tensing, Shera didn't reply at first. She couldn't believe what he was asking of her! She wasn't allowed to hate the man who murdered her Captain? "I'll try not to, Cid."

"Promise me?"

Damn, the man didn't fight fairly, even when he was too weak to lift a hand to demand she'd shake on it. Shera gulped down some air, trying to keep her voice steady even as her tears was slowly soaking the sheet. "I promise I'll try, Cid."

Cid let his eyes drift shut again, so horribly tired, and let numbness take over him again.

Shera straightened to watch him as the blonde slowly drifted into sleep again, biting her lower lip hard enough to bleed to keep from making any sounds that could wake him. This was all her fault! She drove him to this! If it hadn't been for her, Cid wouldn't have followed Sephiroth just to get away from her and their problems, and if he hadn't done that; Cid would have been fine now! He would stomp around, cursing and gazing at the sky with longing.

Oh, dear Planet, how was she supposed to survive if he wasn't there?

Was it even possible to live without a heart?

-

_AN;_ _Once again, I can only apologize for the late update, but I hope that as the summer is just about over, things will calm down and I will have time to write regularly again! I have several questions that I DO intend to answer, but with the severely limited time I have, I decided to prioritize a chapter update, but I will get to those questions, I promise! Thank you so much, you wonderful readers, for still sticking with me!_


	11. Out of the shadows and into the night

**11. Out of the shadows and into the night**

* * *

_AN; This chapter is dedicated to these wonderful people, and to the ones still patient enough to wait for my updates... Thank you so much Tishanna, ShadowXenVII, Nicholas Bledsoe, Asga, Emerald drake, Selunchen123, Cozmicomicollector, Lady Nephenee Ranulf, Great Beaver, Kotoro, James Firecat, Chaos Dynasty, Riku54-Vincent's Demon, Kit Thespian, Madcap Minstrel, Lady Lessien, and Shinzey!_

_Oh, and special thanks to Nicholas Bledsoe for a wonderful fan art! I got fan art! Will put up link in my bio! Go oh and ah! Now on with the chapter!_

* * *

It was like waking from a dream really. Just the slow decent into consciousness and the automatic opening of the eyes. 

Sephiroth saw Aeris sitting beside him and he wasn't even aware of reaching out his hand. It seemed like the right thing to do. It felt perfectly natural that her hand gently wrapped around his. But something was terribly wrong!

Something was lurking at the back of his mind, something he really didn't want to remember, but he could feel from the simple touch alone how tense Aeris was.

Then it all came crashing back!

Dread, guilt and self-loathing hit Sephiroth hard and he fought to breathe. "I didn't..."

Aeris gazed down at the floor. "Raito is going to be fine. Cid shielded him from the cold. And from you."

"Cid...?" Sephiroth whispered, clutching her hand harder even when he knew he deserved no comfort.

The flower girl hesitated, gathered her strength, then finally met his eyes again. "Not good." She found no comfort at the agony in Sephiroth's eyes. If possible, it pained her even more. "The wounds got treated with Restore materia, but the heavy blood loss damaged his organs. They're shutting down, and the strain is too much on his heart. Apparently, Odin did some unrepairable damage two years ago when Cid forced Panlong out for the first time."

Sephiroth turned his face away and pulled his hand free from hers. He'd murdered one of his friends. He'd murdered Cid Highwind! The raw pain of that knowledge made him regret bitterly waking up. He didn't deserve to wake up. He deserved to be the one dying!

"No."

Starting slightly at the anger in Aeris' voice, Sephiroth glanced back at her. She was nothing less than glaring at him.

"Don't you dare," Aeris declared fiercly as she gave a little shake of her head. "Don't you dare lie there, feeling sorry for yourself!"

Shock made Sephiroth numb and he couldn't speak.

The flower girl got up and clutched her hands into tight fists by her sides. "You want to hear that this is all your fault? Fine. It is!" Her eyes filled with frustrated and angry tears. "Happy? It was your sword that cut Cid so bad that he's in a hospital bed and wont leave it alive. It was you who got him to follow you to the Northern Crater. It was you who didn't trust me enough to tell me that 'she' was talking to you! It was you, and you alone, who didn't want to live with your wife and child, because I know Cid wants to! But he'll never get the chance!"

Trembling, Sephiroth closed his eyes hard and tried to forget the memory of the Masamune going through Cid. "Aeris..." He'd known pain all his life, but this was the first time that it felt like the feeling alone would kill him. A light touch by his jawline made the silver haired man open his eyes again.

Aeris tried a weak smile as a tear trailed down her cheek. "If you had died... my heart would have died with you." She kneeled down beside the bed and lifted his hand to her lips. "And Zefiris would have lost her daddy. You family needs you, Sephiroth!"

"But, Aeris... I can't... How do I...?" Sephiroth asked helplessly. "I don't know what to do!"

"I know what you're going to do," Aeris stated softly, stroking his hand. "You're going to talk to Shera."

"What?" Sephiroth actually managed to sit up in pure terror. "No!" He could never face her again! Never!

Aeris got up as well, yet didn't release his hand. "Sephiroth, you've done something terrible and you must face the consequences. If Cid had been the one to come back alive and you'd be dead by his hands, I'd demand the chance to at least be given the opportunity to hurt him. You owe her at least the chance to slap you."

Sephiroth swallowed hard and agony entered his gaze once more. "I can never make it up to her..."

"No, you can't," Aeris admitted silently. "But you can do this. Allow her to hate you. She has every right. And I'll be there with you."

Shaking his head, Sephiroth glanced wearily up at her. "How can you still love me after everything I've done?"

The flower girl gave another faint smile. "Because you're a good person, Sephiroth. Inside. I know that." She squeezed his hand gently. "I know how Jenova toys with your mind. You can trust me, Sephiroth. Don't try to handle everything on your own. Let me help you."

"Forever?"

"Forever, and a day."

* * *

Rufus glanced over as the door opened and Tifa entered the room. "You seen him?" He knew she intended to visit Cid after the twentieth check on Raito and the twins, and by the tears in her eyes he already knew the answer before she nodded. "I'm sorry, baby..." The brat prince automatically opened his arms to her and held her close when she fled into his embrace. "If there was anything I could do..." 

Fighting to speak, Tifa dug her fingers into Rufus' shirt. "Whatever happened to happy endings?"

"The story isn't over yet," Rufus whispered, stroking her hair.

Tifa shook her head before hiding her tear-soaked face to his chest. "There can be no happy ending after this! First Nanaki. Then Jessie and Cloud. And now Cid! The fighting just goes on and on! And my friends keep dying!" Her last words approaching screams of pain.

Gathering her up in his arms, Rufus carried the trembling Tifa over to let her sit on a chair, before he kneeled in front of her. "But we can't give up, Tifa..."

"Why not? Everyone just keeps dying!" The brunette allowed him to take her hands in his, but wouldn't meet his eyes. "I lost my mother... Then Sephiroth took my father from me... Nibelheim... And my friends keep fighting, only to die... Everyone dies..."

"But we can't give up," Rufus repeated firmly, making her finally meet his stern gaze. "Why? Felix and Robin. Raito. Dawn." His grip on her hands tightened slightly. "As well for the ones we've lost." The brat prince softened his voice. "If we give up, then everything has been in vain."

Tifa merely shook her head again. "What's the point? It never ends!"

Rufus sighed. "Isn't that why we're fighting in the first place? To make sure it doesn't end? We want this world to go on. To make sure sacrifices hasn't been for nothing. Even if there will always be someone out to shed blood, there will always be people like us fighting to stop them."

A silence followed, where Tifa tried to find the strength inside her again. Why did there always have to be fighting? Why did people have to die? But Rufus was right... She couldn't just give up now. She'd come too far. She'd lost so much, but she'd gained even more to protect. "You're right..."

Frowning, Rufus reached out and drew light fingertips along her jawline. "How's Shera taking it...?"

"Like Shera," Tifa whispered faintly as she closed her eyes to allow the final tears to escape. "She's in so much pain, Rufus..."

Rufus closed his eyes as well, leaning forward to rest his forhead against Tifa's. "I know how she's feeling..."

Tifa let her arms slide around Rufus, needing to feel him close. They'd both nearly lost the other once. Tifa knew too well how Shera was feeling herself. "Yeah..."

"Sephiroth?" Rufus asked quietly.

Hesitating, Tifa drew a slow breath. "I... don't know. I couldn't face him." How was she supposed to look at Sephiroth again? She'd hated him so violently for many years, for murdering her father and her home town, then for murdering Aeris, and when she was slowly accepting him as one of her friends... Sephiroth kidnaps Raito and murders Cid. The man was constantly stained with the blood of the innocent.

Rufus didn't reply, knowing how strained Tifa's opinion about Sephiroth was by now, and merely stroke a caressing hand over her arm. He flinched slightly when the fragile moment was broken by his cell-phone ringing. He sent the brunette an apologetic look as she leaned back to meet his eyes, but she merely gave a faint nod. Pressing the reply button, Rufus turned slightly away. "This had better be important..."

Tifa smiled weakly at the threat in his voice, wondering if the person calling flinched like she used to do before she knew Rufus.

Getting up, Rufus' frown turned slightly angry. "What do you mean you can't find her? Are you a complete idiot!"

Blinking, Tifa glanced curiously over at the brat prince, and curiosity quickly turned to worry when he started to pace. Rufus only paced when he felt he didn't have control over a dangerous situation.

"I don't care!" Rufus snapped furiously. "Find them! They can't have gone far!" He quickly shut his phone and aimed to storm out of the room, but halted abruptly when stopped by a grip around his wrist. He couldn't meet Tifa's eyes. "Yuffie and Hawk."

"They've gone after them..." Tifa whispered. "They've gone to get Vincent..."

Rufus nodded.

* * *

Kadaj glanced over and smirked. "Don't you think it's time?" 

Crossing his arms defiantly, Hojo's eyes narrowed. "Not really." He stood by the water-bank, refusing to back away from Kadaj's presence, and made himself ignore the two brothers by the edge of the forrest as well as the demon hovering in the darkness of a cave near by.

"You cannot avoid it forever," Kadaj declared smoothly and stepped closer to the water. "You will have to tell me eventually..."

Hojo eyed the young man warily. "No, I don't."

A soft chuckle and Kadaj glanced over at the dark haired man as well. "Mother said you would be stubborn..." He took one step into the water. "But she also said you are no fool."

Forcing himself to remain calm as poison seemed to ripple out from that one step, Hojo stuck his chin out. "I told you before... I'm on my side. Not yours. Not theirs. And not... hers." He couldn't help his gaze from flickering away. "My business with Jenova was a life-time ago. I don't see why you went to so much trouble just to get me here."

Kadaj took another step into the water, watching with fascination as it was slowly turning black. "Mother wanted you here. She said you'd know."

"Jenova has become quite chatty in her old age," Hojo commented drily as he made himself gaze at Kadaj again.

The young man smiled, like a child handed his favorite toy, and continued to walk into the water until his palms rested on the surface. "She knows you took it."

Starting, Hojo tensed defensively and wondered where his skill of impassiveness had now gone. "She told you that?"

Nodding and continuing to smile, Kadaj gently tapped the water surface. "And I need it, Hojo. So that's why you're going to tell me where you hid it." Reptile eyes narrowed and suddenly focused sharply on the scientist. "Where is Mother?"

Hojo clenched his jaw hard, refusing to acknowledge the flicker of fear rushing through him. What did he have to fear? Still, those eyes... "If she claims to know that much, why doesn't she know the location?"

"She remembers you at the reactor..." Kadaj spoke softly, unlike the hard gaze tearing into Hojo. "She remembers your touch when you pried her out of Sephiroth's hands. She remembers you bringing her body to Midgar, capturing her in that tank, and that you left her son behind in a shell of materia crystal."

The thought of Jenova's consciousness watching all those years ago made another chill go through Hojo, and he wondered briefly if Sephiroth had been aware of his presence too. "After AVALANCHE so inconsiderately yanked me from my mortal life back then, things have changed in Midgar! ShinRa had my entire research facility re-done! Everything was destroyed!"

"**You **destroyed it," Kadaj countered smoothly. "But not her. You kept her. You couldn't get yourself to destroy her because you knew this day would come. You knew she would need you and now is the time!"

Hojo trembled softly. The boy knew. The dark haired scientist himself couldn't explain why he hadn't destroyed the head of Jenova any more than why he'd kept the pictures of Sephiroth's childhood, but it had been a mistake. A mistake done in a moment of weakness. Jenova's hold on him was obviously not broken that easily. "Well, you're wrong. I never found Jenova's head! I brought her body back to Midgar, where she eventually left me."

Tutting at the dark haired man, Kadaj made a faint gesture. "What did you expect? You locked her up for yourself, and you left her son behind."

Barely able to keep back an angry retort about Sephiroth being **his **son, not hers, Hojo turned his face away. "It doesn't matter. Either way, Jenova's head is lost to us all."

Kadaj watched him for a few moments, about to make another comment, when suddenly he gazed towards the forrest. "It appears that we have company..."

Starting violently, Hojo glanced quickly over at Yazoo, seeing the young man pale as well, before returning his glare to Kadaj. "What? You smell non-Jenova blood?"

Walking towards land again, Kadaj made a quick gesture that sent his two brothers into motion. "I sense materia, to be exact." He halted by Hojo's side. "A foolish rescue attempt by your friends?"

Hojo shook his head. "Dubious." He was not worried that Aeris had returned. He wasn't! "Probably some monster hunter."

Glancing over at where Chaos was hovering in darkness, it's red eyes glowing ominously as it awaited orders, Kadaj laughed silently. "Well then... Let us show him real monsters..."

* * *

Loz glanced around, seeing no sign of anyone in the forrest of glowing trees. Had Kadaj been wrong? Nah. Kadaj was never wrong. So, there had to be an intruder here somewhere, there was only the minor matter of actually finding him... 

Sighing, he continued his scouting and for a moment wondered why Kadaj hadn't just sent the demon out to find them, but he quickly dismissed the thought. Chaos scared him. The demon was too ready to kill anyone and any thing for Loz' taste. It was also probably the reason why Kadaj had ordered the creature to keep still and keep quiet. Unleashing Chaos would be to unleash a massacre. It would be a wise thing to direct the demon in the right direction before doing so.

A sound caught his attention and Loz approached it warily. It had sounded like a twig being stepped on. A glance around a tree awarded him with a hard punch to his face. Stumbling back, he lifted an arm defensively and shook his head to focus again.

A young man with dark hair and a scar covering his one eye was glaring at him.

Lighting up with a smile, Loz held out his arms. "You want to play with me?"

The reply was a second punch to his face, a move too fast for even Loz to see, but the silver haired man quickly regained his wits and blocked a kick.

"I haven't played with anyone for so long!" Loz threw out a punch of his own but hit a tree as the stranger ducked underneath it. He cheerfully ignored the tree collapsing after the impact and stalked after his prey. "Kadaj has been no fun lately! Yazoo... Yazoo is never any fun really." The stranger leaped up and over him as Loz' fist connected with the ground he'd been standing on a second earlier, and reptile eyes danced with mirth as his gaze followed the ninja. "Let's have lots of fun!"

It became a deadly dance of punches, kicks and the heavy charge of electricity in the air from the contraption on Loz' arm. A dance that continued for several minutes. A waltz of pain, a tango of shattered bones and a dirge of death.

Hawk breathed hard as he leaned back against a tree, watching as the tall man stalked towards him. He was so strong! And so fast! Despite his size, the silver haired man moved so quickly he became a blur sometimes! The Wutai ninja was clutching his side, several broken ribs complaining loudly, and blinked the sweat out of his one eye. This was not going well! If he didn't get away soon, he would...

Gun shots rang through the air, startling them both, but Loz soon chuckled happily. "There's more than one of you? We can have a party!"

Fear ran cold through Hawk and he stared nervously in the direction of the shots. Yuffie...

"Don't worry!" Loz chirped, cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders. "My brother got your friend entertained! And Yazoo is an expert sharp-shooter!"

Hawk ran, some instinct telling him that he should never have listened to the crazy idea of rescuing Vincent on their own, but a blur shot by him and Loz was suddenly blocking his way. More gun-shots made Hawk lash out an attack that he hoped would force Loz into side-stepping and clearing his way.

Loz barely avoided the deadly knife thrown at him, grazing his neck, and grinned even wider as his hand locked around the other man's throat. "Leaving so soon?"

Abruptly halted by the choke-hold, Hawk automatically grasped at the iron grip and felt the air being slammed out of him when Loz rammed him against a tree. The Wutaian was barely able to breathe, constantly clawing at the hand, yet his glare revealed nothing but fury. He didn't have time for this! Yuffie was in trouble! He bumped his heel hard against the tree to bring out the hidden blade in his boot and kicked it with all his might into Loz' side.

Screaming with pain, Loz felt raw anger devour his mind.

The furious sound of hurt was the last thing Hawk ever heard.

The silver haired man healed his bleeding wound absently as he gazed down at the slumped form. Stupid, fragile humans...

Loz glanced over as someone approached and sent Yazoo a mournful look when the long haired brother stepped into sight. "I didn't mean to, Yazoo..."

Yazoo sighed, ignoring the agonized scream from the young woman he was dragging along. "You never do, Loz. You never do."

Yuffie tugged with all her might to free herself, not caring that her captors grip on her arm didn't budge at all or how pain shot through her from the gun shot wound in her leg. All she could see was Hawk lying on the ground. All she could feel was a black emptiness spreading through her soul. She didn't notice the tears flowing from her eyes. She didn't care that the enemy was watching her.

Hawk was dead, his neck broken, and it was her fault!

* * *

Hojo glared towards Chaos. 

Chaos was glaring back.

Neither seemed ready to give up in the near future.

Kadaj rolled his eyes but then lit up as he saw his brothers returning. "You found our guest?"

"Guests," Yazoo muttered. "But then Loz here played a little too rough with him..."

"You monsters!" Yuffie screamed, still squirming and fighting to free herself from Yazoo's grip. The pain and the blood from her own wounds only fueled her fury "I'm going to kill you all, you bastards!"

Loz sniffled quietly. "I **said **I was sorry... I didn't mean to!"

As he was about to reply, Kadaj was distracted by a sound and glanced over to see Chaos clutching it's head, clearly reacting to the young ninja's voice. Or, more precisely, someone inside the demon was reacting to the voice. Frowning, the young silver haired man stuck his chin out. "Chaos... There may be more intruders. Go scout the forrest."

The creature lifted it's face and focused it's eerie eyes on Kadaj for a moment, before it gave a slight nod and leaped up into the air. It's leathery wings spreading like darkness and carrying Chaos away.

Yuffie fought violently to free herself, grief and rage too strong for reason, and she called out to the one person she knew could help her. "VINCENT!" She gulped down air, ignoring how the tears escaped from her eyes. "VIN..." Her scream was abruptly halted. Yuffie blinked wide-eyed a few times before she could gaze down to see the sword going through her chest. Kadaj's sword. Frowning, she gazed back up at the young man, still frozen in the same position as when he'd suddenly rammed his deadly blade through her. "Jerk..." A taste of blood in her mouth.

"No!" Hojo exclaimed, startling himself as much as the three silver haired men, but he quickly regained his wits and stalked over. "Kadaj! You IDIOT!" He was trembling with rage. Rage, right? "You moron! You buffoon! You complete NITWIT!" The scientist ignored the gaping look of Loz and the horrified features of Yazoo, focusing only on the curious Kadaj. "Sephiroth and his gang is gonna think I had something to do with this! They're gonna kill me along with you now!" Again...

Kadaj yanked his sword free, nodding for Yazoo to release Yuffie, and as she fell, his smirk widened. "You're going to tell us where to find Mother now?"

Hojo growled furiously, bumping into Yazoo as he moved over to glare at Kadaj. "Why do you think I didn't tell you before? I was STALLING! Hoping Sephiroth and ShinRa would find some way to get rid of you guys before you could make an even bigger mess, and NOW look at this! You just got me killed! They're never going to believe that I had no part of this!"

Yazoo blinked offended. "Hey! What do you think you're doing? You just..."

"Shut up!" Hojo interrupted, not taking his eyes of Kadaj. "You wanna know where Jenova's head is? Fine, I'll tell you! You're not giving me much choice! Either Sephiroth kills me, or I tell you and you kill him! I still like me more than anyone else."

Stepping closer, Yazoo tried to get his brother's attention. "Kadaj, he just..."

"Quiet!" Kadaj snapped, not breaking eye contact with Hojo's golden gaze either. "I'm listening, Hojo."

Hesitating, Hojo finally crossed his arms. "I hid her where no one would be foolish enough to look. Nibelheim. In the reactor. Satisfied?"

"Kadaj!" Yazoo tried again.

Kadaj tossed him an angry glare. "Shut up, you moron!" He didn't even notice the slow change of cold anger sliding over Yazoo's face as he turned back to face Hojo. "In Nibelheim, huh? It was underneath their noses all the time... Under every ones noses..." The young man made a gesture to his brothers and stalked towards their motorcycles. "We're leaving for Nibelheim. Now."

Hojo wasn't surprised when Yazoo didn't move at first, and the two entered a staring contest, which ended in a slight victory to a puzzled scientist when the other man gave a slow nod before following Loz and Kadaj. He didn't wait for the motorcycles to be out of sight before dropping to his knees beside the fallen Yuffie and pulled out the cell-phone he just stole from Yazoo. Hojo used to be such a great pickpocket, but now obviously a little rusty as Yazoo had caught him. Calling ShinRa, he cut a face at all the blood soaking Yuffie's clothes. The girl was barely breathing. A trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth.

It didn't hurt that much anymore, Yuffie realised and she sent Hojo a weary look. "You don't... have to look so worried..." She managed a weak smile. "Me and Vinnie... We've done this before... You tell him... I'll be waiting... for him to wake me up... And... And that I'll... be the one to kiss Hawk... Or I'll kick his ass...!"

Shrugging off his jacket, Hojo then held the phone to his ear with the aid of his shoulder and curled up the cloth to press it against the wound in an effort to slow the blood flow. "Don't be an idiot. You tell him yourself. You're gonna be fine, ok?"

A ghost of a laugh and Yuffie's eyes drifted shut. "Liar..." She swallowed hard. "Just... tell him..."

Hojo tensed even more, almost relieved when he heard Rufus ShinRa's wary reply. "ShinRa, it's me. Get an aircraft and set course for the Cetra Capital. You'd better hurry as much as humanly possible. You've got people down." He barely heard the confirmation before closing the phone and tossing it aside, placing both hands on his now crimson stained jacket. "Yuffie...?" His heart sank when he realised, and Hojo slowly lowered his head. "I'll tell him... I promise..."

* * *

Sephiroth gazed at the still form of Cid Highwind, his legs refusing to bring him into the room and left him frozen by the window. He couldn't do this. The sight and the knowledge that he was to blame simply got too much. It didn't help that Aeris promised to wait outside for him. The only weak sense of relief was the fact that Shera was nowhere to be seen. The fact that it relieved him made Sephiroth feel even more crappier. 

Spinning around, the silver haired man decided to make a run for it. Only to have the door to the hallway open as he reached for the handle, and he found himself facing the very woman he wanted to avoid more than anyone else.

Shera gazed surprised at him before her eyes flickered away. "Sephiroth... I didn't expect you to..."

"I didn't!" Sephiroth exclaimed softly. Torn by guilt, he was unable to run and unable to face her. "I mean... I didn't want to disturb you..."

Nodding, Shera stepped aside to let him make his escape. "I understand."

Sephiroth moved forward, but halted as he had passed her. Unable to look back. "Shera, I..."

No reply.

"Shera, I don't expect you to believe me, but..." Sephiroth glanced back at the pale woman. "I _am _sorry."

Closing her eyes, Shera drew a deep breath. "Give me time, Sephiroth..."

Time? It was not the answer he'd expected. Anger. Hatred. A scream for him to get away from Cid and stay away. But that wasn't Shera's way, was it?

"Maybe one day I'll be able to look at you the way Cid wants me to," Shera whispered, slowly focusing her eyes on the sword fighter. "Maybe one day. Because right now all I can see when I look at you is the Captain's murderer and the man who deprived my child from meeting his father." The brunette swallowed down the tears, angry with herself for feeling bad at seeing the pain she caused the man who'd spilled Cid's blood, and she turned away again. "I think you should leave now. Aeris is waiting for you."

With that, she disappeared behind the door that lead to Cid's room and Sephiroth could see through the window her sitting down by the pilot's side. The cold sorrow and agonized despair in her eyes was a thousand times more painful than any physical wound Sephiroth had ever felt. And there was no cure for this. He could never undo what he had done.

Slender arms circled around his waist when he'd taken two steps into the hallway and Sephiroth drew a deep breath before he could find his voice again. "I've killed so many that I've lost count... Why does this hurt so much?"

"Because Cid is your friend," Aeris declared silently as she rested her cheek against his tense shoulder. "And because of Kadaj and his gang, you have to be strong. We need you, Sephiroth."

"When will you **stop **trusting me?"

The tone was angry, almost defiant, but Aeris didn't take the bait. She merely hugged him a little tighter and sighed, closing her eyes briefly. "Be strong, Sephiroth."

Nodding, Sephiroth exhaled in defeat. She was right. There was nothing he could do. No way to turn back time and stop this from happening.

Aeris bit her lower lip in a nervous manner. "I was thinking... The Cetra agreed to bring Hojo back to help us, right? Maybe I could talk to them and make some deal... About Cloud..."

Sephiroth spun around to face her, fear and anger battling in his face. "You will do no such thing! You hear me? Don't you dare defy me on this one, Aeris!" His own deal was still haunting him.

A life for a life.

He knew he was probably dead the moment he agreed to that deal, but there was no way he was letting Aeris do the same thing. Not even for her beloved Cloud.

The flower girl gazed surprised at him. Clearly not understanding the anger in his voice, but Sephiroth didn't soften his harsh stance for one second. Finally she gave a small nod and wrapped her arms around herself. "Alright..."

Taking a gentle hold of her chin, he tilted her face up to meet his gaze. "I wont let you down again, Aeris..." Sephiroth stroke a light finger over her lips. "I promise..."

Aeris managed a faint smile as she was once again reminded why she loved this man so much.

* * *

Chaos roared furiously. Tossing another piece of debris aside, narrowly avoiding a startled Loz, the demon pointed at the burned out reactor core. _"He lied! The cretin lied! There is nothing here!"_

Kadaj frowned.

_"NOTHING!"_

A glance over at his brothers earned Kadaj two shrugs and he sighed before returning his focus to Chaos. "Why would Hojo send us on a mission to fail? Mother said..."

_"The only thing you can trust about Hojo is that you can never trust him!"_ Chaos yelled in anger, leaping up to land beside Kadaj. _"He betrayed you!"_

Yazoo crossed his arms and glanced at the exit, refusing to feel bad about not telling Kadaj about Hojo snatching his cell phone. Little brother should have learned by now that you did NOT to call Yazoo an idiot. Hmpf.

Frowning confused, Kadaj gazed down at the reactor core as if he was hoping to see something Chaos had missed. "But if it's not here..."

Chaos loomed behind the young man._ "We all know where it is." _Fangs was bared in something reminding of a sinister smile when Kadaj turned to face him.

"Where?"

_"Midgar."_ Chaos snorted with disgust._ "Hojo always thought that Midgar was his little safe haven. Where no one would notice what he did in secret labs and behind closed doors."_

Loz gave Yazoo a nervous look and the long haired brother stepped forward. "Midgar is pretty heavily guarded, in case you didn't notice." He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "What do you suggest? That we put it under siege, the four of us?"

_"We tear it to pieces!"_ Chaos exclaimed with a blood thirst so clear it made the three others take an unwilling step away._ "Let it rain blood and screams!"_

Was it just their imaginations, or was there black flames surrounding Chaos now?

Kadaj sighed as he weighed his options. "Hojo lied... Big brother refuses to join us... ShinRa is constantly getting in our way... It would seem that taking care of Midgar would be the solution to all of our problems..."

Yazoo tensed. "What?"

Loz sniffled silently and started to fidget with his glove.

"With our powers and Chaos here, we should be able to make our way into Midgar without too much trouble," Kadaj mused. "Our target will the the ShinRa tower. That's where Hojo had his favorite labs." Reptile eyes flashed with malice. "That is where Mother will be."

Shaking his head, Yazoo stalked over to his brother. "We go in there, and we'll get killed! ShinRa has an entire army! Sephiroth will be there! Hell, we don't even know if we can **trust **this demon!"

"We are going to get Mother, Yazoo! **Understood**?"

Gazing at Kadaj for a few more seconds, as if he was hoping to see some flicker of sanity in his eyes, Yazoo finally gave a resigned nod. "For Mother..." At least he would die with his brothers...

Kadaj laughed softly, giving Yazoo a light shove. "You shouldn't underestimate the power Mother gave us, brother. ShinRa and his crew are the ones who will suffer and die! No one gets between us and Mother!"

Chaos rose eerily up through the air, crossing it's arms across it's chest. _"It is time that Chaos was unleashed on this world again..."_

The demon became a black beacon in front of them as the three silver haired men raced towards the city of Midgar on their motorcycles.

Death was coming, in the shape of three brothers and an unearthly creature, and Death was going to claim lives.

Yazoo felt his heart thundering in his chest, torn between fear and anger. This was going to end badly. Either way, someone he cared about was going to die...

Beside him, Loz tried to convince himself that Kadaj knew what he was doing. He'd always trusted their youngest brother, and so he would do whatever Kadaj said. Even if his heart told him it was wrong...

And Kadaj smiled.

Smiled as a tear slowly ran from the corner of his eye.

* * *

_AN; An update! At last! Darker than darkest and next chapter will be all action. Yes, there will be fighting! _


	12. Hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me

**12. Hold me, Thrill me, Kiss me, Kill me...**

* * *

"Man, I've obviously done something wrong in a previous life!" Reno complained in a nasal whine as he flipped through another pile of research papers. "Why do we gotta do this? I mean, it would make much more sense if Rufus would just let us go after these guys! Why send us up to freeze our asses of here?"

"Because he trusts you," Rude answered absently in his monotone voice before continuing his effort to hack into the last files in the computer.

Ever since Rufus had given orders for them to return to the lab in the Northern Crater and discover what they could about the three silver haired men, Reno had not stopped complaining for more than two minutes at the time.

"Found something!"

Elena's voice made both male Turks glance over at the blonde and she waved a file in the air. "It's all here. Their backgrounds!"

Reno jumped to his feet. "No shit?" He trotted over. "Lemme see!" Ignoring her protest when he grabbed the file from her, he opened it to peruse the contents. "Huh... Half expected these guys to have popped out of a tank, fully grown and with a bad attitude."

"Kinda like you?" Elena asked venomously, but was unable to keep from smiling when the red-head winked at her.

Making an invisible frown behind his sunglasses, Rude leaned slightly forward. "I think I got something as well..."

Reno grumbled, shutting the file and walking over to where Rude sat in front of the one computer still working. "Dammit, you guys are making me look bad!"

Elena glanced over at the mess where the Turk had been 'researching' and crossed her arms annoyed. "It would have helped if you actually did read those, you know, Reno! There might be important information in there!"

"You think?" Reno mused with a puzzled look. "Probably nothing tho." He grinned at the impassive Rude when Elena stomped over to gather the scattered files and re-read them like he knew she would eventually. The grin faded at the scolding frown between Rude's eyebrows and the red-head cleared his throat. "So what do you got, partner?"

Knowing there was no real use in trying to correct Reno's behavior, the bald Turk merely turned back to his screen. "It says here the research has been going on for fifteen years..."

Reno opened the file in his hands and read the first few passages. "Yeah, according to this one, the subjects arrived here fourteen years ago..."

"Seems like this guy was pretty set on copying Hojo's work with Sephiroth..." Rude commented silently, opening a file containing research stolen from ShinRa labs. "And perhaps even more so: Dr Gast's work.."

Tapping a finger on the paper, Reno snorted surprised. "I'll be... Two of them **are** brothers!" He turned the file to show it to Rude. "They 'recruited' two siblings from Cosmo Canyon. Take a look!"

Rude slowly accepted the file, read the first paper before flipping over to the next one. "And the last one...?"

"Seems they fished him out of Junon. Orphan." Reno shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders slightly like he did every time he was uncomfortable. "They were just kids... Those two had parents too. Could've had a normal life."

Elena made no comment as she watched Reno, knowing the heart he refused to admit he had was probably feeling sorry for the three causing so much trouble. Like Sephiroth, they too were pawns in a game they had no choice but to participate in. She also knew Reno would not be able to sleep when the night came.

Rude returned his focus to the computer. "I'll send these documents back to Midgar..."

"I wonder if they know..." Reno mumbled, gazing over at a picture sticking out of the file Rude had placed on the table. A picture of two young boys with black hair and brown eyes filled with fear. "I wonder if they remember..." Snapping out of it, he shook his head and forced a smile. "Yeah, guess I better call the President, huh? He said he wanted to know the second we dug up something. I'd say this qualifies as 'something'!"

Gathering up the last files Reno had thrown to the floor, Elena voiced what they all were thinking. "If Jinrei created these three all those years ago... Does that mean there might be more of them?"

Rude's finger nearly missed the key it was aiming for, and he cleared his throat quietly. "Let's just get this info back to the President. And when he gives us new orders, we follow them. A Turk's job does not involve speculating."

* * *

Rufus gazed over at Tifa, watching her silently as she stood gazing out the window in his office. Her arms were tightly wrapped around herself, and he didn't need to see her face to know she was crying. The tense shoulders and the occasional shiver that went through her body was enough to reveal her agony. Silent tears were shed in mourning for Yuffie and Hawk. Two of her friends that Rufus had brought back from the Cetra capital. The brat prince didn't know what to say, so he kept quiet. 

Cloud and Jessie's deaths had shattered Tifa in ways that could never be repaired, and now it was happening again.

Knowing that something inside Tifa died with each of her friends, Rufus was helpless to do anything about it. He could only watch and be there if she reached out for him. In some strange way, it helped him to ignore his own grief by focusing on Tifa's.

Hojo had barely spoken on the way back to Midgar. The dark haired man had simply taken over Cid Highwind's care and buried himself in work. Rufus figured that was probably Hojo's way of refusing to deal with things. They all had their own way. The only words Hojo 'did' speak were words of warning. Kadaj would return, and most likely with a bad attitude. He'd merely acknowledged Sephiroth with the smallest of nods. It didn't improve the depressed general's mood to be frowned upon by his father.

Then again, everyone was in a poor mood now.

When up against Jinrei, their biggest problem was the fact that they didn't know who they were fighting against or the motive behind it all. This time, they knew everything, and people were still dying.

Suddenly the entire ShinRa Tower shook and Rufus leaped out of his chair, as the explosion sent debris from the wall surrounding Midgar high into the air. Blue eyes held no surprise when he stopped beside Tifa to see the dark figure flying above the wall. For a heart-beat, the two stared at Chaos making it's way towards the ShinRa Tower, but there was no hesitation when their eyes met.

"The kids," Tifa stated.

"The kids," Rufus agreed, and he yanked her close for a desperate kiss before letting her storm out of the room. He pretended not to see the fear in her face, but marched over to get his shotgun. It was the final show down. The final fight. The ShinRa president placed the weapon in it's holster, corrected his jacket and was about to leave when his cell-phone began to ring. Frowning at the interruption, Rufus absently pushed the reply button. "This had better be important...!"

The annoyance quickly vanished from his face, and Rufus sank down in his chair again while tapping into his computer with his free hand. "Yeah, I'm ready..."

Watching and waiting as the files downloaded, blue eyes narrowed slightly at the information he was receiving over the phone. "Cosmo Canyon and Junon, huh?" Junon... Rufus had spent several years in Junon. Grumbling in a golden cage, while a boy was kidnapped in the streets for experiments. No one even mourned the loss of that boy. "Do we know anything about the parents of the other two? Dead? Figures."

The building shook again, and the ShinRa President tossed an absent glance at the window before returning his gaze to the computer screen.

Chaos was coming closer.

People yelling orders, determined sprints with a taint of fear and the sound of gun fire was everything Rufus needed to hear to know that the ShinRa army was mobilizing and the preparations had not been in vain.

"They wont be able to stop it, you know." Hojo entered the office to walk over to the window. The scientist was even paler than usual. "It's going to cut it's way straight through your little tin-soldiers and not stop before we're all dead."

Rufus frowned annoyed, muttering for the Turks to finish up in the North and then return to Midgar before closing his cell-phone and focusing on the self-invited visitor in his office. "Well, aren't we the bright little ray of sunshine? You do know I got all the forces in Midgar ready for this? The same forces that faced Weapons and came out victorious?"

Hojo shook his head. "You don't know what you're facing. You think you know Chaos because you've seen Vincent release it in battle? That version is absolutely nothing compared to the one we're about to face. Chaos is in control this time. Not your dear Valentine. That demon is too strong for any of us to defeat. And with Sephiroth this unstable, we don't stand a chance..."

Feeling unease spreading through him, Rufus got up and glared harshly at the other man. "If Chaos is that dangerous, why the hell did you shove it into Vincent?"

"I didn't," Hojo declared silently. "I refused to go near that thing. It scared the living daylights out of me." He closed his eyes when the building shook once more, then turned on his heel and walked out.

* * *

"Go!" Sephiroth shouted, giving the final ShinRa soldier a push that nearly sent the poor soul flying flat on his face. "I want everyone in position within five seconds, or I will kill you myself!" 

The demon in the sky sent another ray of destruction into a building near by. Dangerously close now and showing no signs of changing direction.

"Brother dearest... We meet again..."

The familiar drawl made Sephiroth spin around and glare at the person crouched on the railing meant to prevent anyone from actually falling off the ShinRa tower. The long haired copy smirked satisfied at the anger flooding at him from reptilian eyes. What had Aeris called him? Yazoo? It didn't matter, Sephiroth realised as his hand slowly curled around the hilt of the Masamune. The boy would be dead soon enough anyway.

Yazoo's wary gaze saw the movement and the smirk widened. It **was** a fight he was looking for, after all. "We never did get to finish our little game up north..."

"That eager to die?" Sephiroth growled, using his free hand to signal the ShinRa soldiers to keep back. This was personal. "Lucky for you, I have a slot open in my list of people to kill today..."

Jumping down from the railing to stand a suitable distance from the other silver haired man, Yazoo lightly tested his grip on his gun. "You mean I wasn't on the list already? I'm hurt, brother dearest. But I'll let you make it up to me by dying!"

The movement was too fast to be caught by the human eye, yet Sephiroth had no trouble deflecting the bullets when Yazoo fired the gun. It was the starting signal for a deadly race. He sprinted forward, reflecting and dodging the bullets, and was almost relieved when Yazoo easily darted away from the first lunge of the Masamune. It would have been a disappointment if things ended too soon. Sephiroth wanted to make the insolent expression turn into agony and fear. He wanted to hear a plea for a worthless life!

Yazoo gritted his teeth as he ducked underneath the sharp blade, sending a couple of shots towards Sephiroth that he knew would be swatted away, and rolled into momentary safety. His so-called brother was faster, stronger and angrier than anything Yazoo had fought before. He should have known. The way Kadaj was swooning about the great Sephiroth, and Mother's obsession about her favorite son. Still, it only gave fuel to determination and disgust. Only one would leave this place alive...

Sparks flew when bullets collided with the unyielding metal that was the Masamune, boots struggled for grip on the cement, and strained curses drowned in the explosions near by. Yazoo backing up. Sephiroth following. Gun barking out deadly projectiles. A flash of razor sharp metal. A scream when an unfortunate ShinRa soldier got hit by a stray bullet. But neither combatant took focus off each other, which probably saved Yazoo's life when the Masamune barely missed him, two silver locks of hair falling to the ground, and he landed hard on his hip to roll away half a second before the sword bit into the ground.

Fear and anger flooded Yazoo's senses as he tried to will his feet to move as fast as his thoughts were racing, but all it took was a slight slip of his footing when getting up and a fierce pain drowned out everything else. He heard someone scream. It was probably him.

Sephiroth didn't feel triumphant when the Masamune finally sliced through black leather and tender skin, but moved over to kick Yazoo over on his back where it was his instincts that saved him from the bullets fired. The danger was over quickly as Sephiroth rammed his sword through the struggling man's shoulder. The sickening sound of shattering bones were only outdone by the agonized scream. Another kick sent Yazoo's gun flying off the ShinRa tower. And Sephiroth glared down at him before yanking his sword back.

Pain threatened to sent him into darkness when the Masamune was pulled free, but desperation gave Yazoo enough strength and speed to lash out a kick towards his opponent, buying himself enough time to get up on his feet. However, his escape ended a heartbeat later when a hand locked around his throat and he was slammed against the annex wall.

Yazoo fought in vain to breathe, clawing at Sephiroth's unbreakable grip on his throat, and stared with horror as he saw the flames reflected in the eerie eyes. An inferno dancing in lifestream green and slit pupils. Midgar burning. Nibelheim burning. The screams of thousand dead souls.

They'd been so wrong. Yazoo had been wrong. Seeing Sephiroth with the half-Cetra and their offspring, he'd seen a domesticated warrior. A beast that had lost his fangs. But the true Sephiroth had been lurking underneath the pretty surface all along. Not the Sephy who played with his daughter. But Sephiroth, who burned down entire villages and relished in the blood spilled. The creature that wanted to destroy the Planet and everyone with it. Sephiroth would never be free from the darkness because he **was** darkness.

* * *

Another scream tore free when the Masamune cut through his stomach and Yazoo was almost relieved when Sephiroth released him to sink down, leaving a trail of blood on the wall. Dull eyes caught the movement when the lethal sword pulled back to deliver the final strike, and Yazoo was surprised to feel his heart cry out in protest. He couldn't die now! His brothers needed him! Kadaj! Loz! His family! 

"No! Sephiroth, stop!"

A flash of pink and brown appeared between the defeated Yazoo and the victorious Sephiroth.

Aeris trembled as she held Sephiroth's eyes, knowing the danger of doing what she did but was unable to do nothing. "Don't kill him, Sephiroth... Please..."

Sneering furiously, Sephiroth didn't ease up on his fighting stance. "You're begging for his life?"

"He gave us back Zefiris, remember?" Aeris pleaded softly. She knew better than anyone how dangerous her beloved could be in this state, but the flower girl had also hope that she was the one who could reason with him. "He didn't have to, but he did."

Sephiroth sneered again. "If I let him go, he'll come after us again!"

Aeris swallowed hard. "If he does, then you kill him. Ok? A life for a life?"

Taking a step towards her, Sephiroth towered dangerously over the brunette. "Step aside, Aeris!"

Yazoo closed his eyes. Placing a hand to his bleeding stomach, he felt the cold slowly seep into him. It was over. Why did Aeris even try to save him? Aeris... The half-Cetra... Damn her...!

Shaking her head, Aeris didn't move. "Sephiroth... Please... For me?" She was pushing him too far, and she knew it...

Sephiroth stared furiously at her for a while before coming to a decision. "You will regret this, Aeris... He'll hurt you. Both of us. As soon as he get the chance."

"I'm sorry," Aeris whispered while feeling like a traitor, then she finally turned to face Yazoo. "You heard him. Come back and Sephiroth will kill you. I wont stop him if you are that foolish." She kneeled down, reaching out to force Yazoo to look at her with a touch by his jawline. "You gave our daughter back. For that, Sephiroth will let you live. I suggest you run, as far and as fast as you can. Never look back."

Yazoo drew a pained breath. "My brothers..."

"Take them with you," Aeris advised silently. "If they stay here, they'll die."

Nodding, Yazoo struggled to get up and had to swallow his pride as the flower girl helped him. "Thank you..."

Gentle green eyes met reptile eyes so alike her Sephiroth's gaze and Aeris had to force away the memory of a forbidden kiss. "You're not a bad person, Yazoo... Give yourself a chance..."

Yazoo smiled faintly. "Too late for that..." He slowly made his way over to the door, fighting to stay awake as each step sent waves of pain through his body. "She married my older brother..."

Aeris drew a startled breath, staring at the door closing behind him and was ignorant to the agony on her face. "It's never too late to chose life..." Knowing that Yazoo was walking down the path Sephiroth had been on for so long ago, only this time there was no flower girl to walk alongside him.

A firm grip around her arm, Sephiroth yanked the brunette around to face him. "Something you want to tell me about him?"

Swallowing down fear and sorrow, Aeris forced a weak smile. "He reminds me of you..."

Starting like she'd slapped him, Sephiroth snorted offended. For a moment, poisonous jealousy reared it's head but he was quick to remember that Aeris would look at an injured puppy that way. She felt sorry for everyone and everything. "What the hell are you doing up here anyway? You were supposed to go with Tifa and the others!"

"I know what you **decided**," Aeris declared, trying to hold on to her courage. "Too bad you didn't ask me!"

Sephiroth closed his eyes briefly, choking down his anger and the urge to shake the flower girl until she promised to stop these insane stunts. "You're hopeless!"

"Well, I learned **that** from you!"

Scoffing offended for the second time, Sephiroth pulled her along as he stalked over to the ShinRa soldiers tending to their fallen friend. "Yeah? Well, you're as bad as the Sage! Hah!"

Aeris gasped. "Now you're just being mean...!"

* * *

Shera turned around abruptly with a startled look when the door to the hospital room opened, and her surprise did not ease when she saw the visitor. 

A certain dark haired scientist eyed her with dry disdain. "Aren't you supposed to be with Tifa in the safe room?"

Swallowing hard, Shera turned back to gaze at the sleeping Cid. "I'm not leaving him..." She reached out a trembling hand to stroke the pilot's hair and realised with a faint smile that Cid would probably have slept through Chaos' attack even without his injuries. The man slept like the dead. The smile vanished.

Hojo pressed a button, and ignored the puzzled outcry from the woman, waiting for the guards to arrive. "You're going to the safe room."

Shera got up, trembling with rage and fear. "Don't you dare do this, Hojo." The amber eyes revealed no sign of him changing his mind. "You can't do this! I can decide for myself!" Still no reaction. "I will never forgive you if you do this...!"

"You wont, but Cid will," Hojo stated curtly. He nodded towards her when the two guards came stumbling into the room. "Bring her to the safe room." The scientist almost appeared bored when they had to just about drag Shera out of the room. He had other things on his mind. She'd soon forget hating him for throwing her out of her husband's room when she discovered that he'd sent Cid off to an early death as well.

Walking over to the bed, he waited until the door closed, and only then did Hojo speak. "Cid... Wake up, Cid. Hey!" He placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder and shook him. "Cid! Rise and shine!" A weak groan. Hojo swallowed hard and forced himself quiet while waiting for the blue eyes to open and focus on him.

"Wha...?" The pilot whispered confused, barely able to keep his eyes open. "Hojo...?"

Hojo cast a quick glance out the window then gathered himself. "There's not much time, so just listen for now, ok? Chaos is attacking Midgar. The three are with it. They're after the Jenova cells, and they mean business this time. Sephiroth is weakened. And I fear he'll weaken even more. I saw what that last seizure did to him. Without Sephiroth, nothing can stop Chaos from killing us all."

Cid frowned and tried to make sense of it all. He hated how weak he felt and how slow his brain seemed to work. "Why... are you telling me this...? I ain't much use to ya anymore."

Another hesitation and Hojo was getting annoyed at himself. This shouldn't feel this difficult, dammit! It was the only way! "You can still... be of use."

"How?" The blonde felt a flicker of curiosity cut through the fog. "Can hardly even move..."

Hojo held up a syringe and held the azure gaze. "This will get you up on your feet. Give you the strength you lack."

"And... you kept this hidden all this time, why?"

"Because it will use whatever time you have left," Hojo whispered seriously. "Understand?"

Cid fell silent as he stared at the syringe. Eventually he drew a slow breath. "You want me to unleash Panlong."

Hojo nodded. "It's our only hope against Chaos. The only creature powerful enough to defeat it. Hopefully."

Hopefully. Cid knew how true that word was. Panlong was as weak as the pilot. "Any chance of me surviving this battle? At all?"

"No."

The answer was short, brutal and honest. Cid managed a faint smile and closed his eyes. Figures. And yet he knew Hojo would not have turned to this unless there was no other way. Strange how one could suddenly have faith in a crazed scientist? "Do it."

Hojo wasn't sure if he was relieved or saddened. "You will have about one hour, Highwind. Maybe less. Make it last." The needle broke through skin without pain.

And just like that, Cid could feel himself waking up again. Like rising from a nice nap, all fresh and revived. More than revived, really. He felt like running laps and kicking ass! The blonde blinked surprised and slowly sat up. "Whoa, that's some good stuff, Doc." He grinned at the weak smile Hojo managed to tweak out in response. "Hey, better to go out in flames than lie here waiting!" The pilot suddenly seemed to hesitate and he cleared his throat. "I, uh, can I ask ya one favour tho...?"

Shrugging, Hojo sighed resigned. "Sure." Who could refuse a dying man's last wish?

"When I'm gone..." Cid said silently, his gaze absent and filled with a pain that was not physical but strong enough to appear so, "...could you look after Shera for me?"

Hojo frowned. Certain he'd misheard. "What...?"

The pilot glanced over with a faint smile. "Shera. She's not going to take this very well, you know. And... she's got a kid to think about, so... Would you look after Shera for me? And my kid?"

Feeling a hint of panic, Hojo stared at the other man with clear disbelief. How could he ask something like that? Hojo had just taken away whatever time Cid had left with Shera, and now he wanted him to make sure his family made it? "Dammit, Cid, make me feel like more of a bastard for sending you out there, and I **will** punch you in the mouth!"

Chuckling, Cid merely shook his head. "Promise, Hojo."

And Hojo remembered Yuffie making him promise with her dying breath too. Hadn't there been enough death now?

"I promise."

* * *

Bullets dug into the wall where Loz had been half a second before, but the muscled man shot forward at an unnatural speed and sent the ShinRa soldier crashing through the window. Adrenaline was racing and the silver haired man grinned absently. Why had they waited this long before attacking Midgar? This was the most fun he'd had since playing with that ninja in the shiny place! It was kinda crappy that Kadaj had decided they had to split up as it would have been even more fun sharing this with his brothers, but you couldn't get everything you wanted in life! 

And they would meet up real soon. Loz making his way up, Yazoo making his way down, and Kadaj waiting for them at the middle.

Two more ShinRa soldiers in his way, backed up against a door, but he sent them to join their friend out the window. It was an explosion that prevented him from advancing, causing just enough delay for a familiar voice to call out.

"Unca Loz?"

Spinning around, Loz was surprised to see the small group inside the room. Women and children. And Zefiris! The little girl smiled happily at the sight of him and started walking towards him only to be abruptly halted when a hand reached out to hold her back. A hand that belonged to a fiercly defensive Tifa.

Loz halted mid-way in a motion to stretch out his hands to Zefiris and slowly straightened to gaze curiously at the brunette. It was the one he'd played with when they took Kadaj from him! She was fun! Even if he couldn't understand why she was glaring at him and refused his niece to greet him.

"Stay back, Zefiris," Tifa ordered in a steel voice and slowly raised her hand to get into a fighting stance. "You. Stay away from her."

Blinking, Loz then lit up with happiness. "You wanna play with me...?"

Tifa's wine coloured eyes narrowed. Deadly muscles tensed under deceptively soft skin. She waited two heartbeats, and suddenly darted towards him only to avoid death by inches as the wall exploded. Turning everything into screams, fire and thick smoke.

For a few seconds nothing but silence followed.

Loz wasn't sure how long he'd been out of it as he shook his head to remove the ringing sound from his ears while slowly pushing himself up from the floor. He'd been tossed to the floor? What had happened? A quick glance around revealed the gaping hole in the wall, courtesy of a stray shot from Chaos, and debris covered everything. Small grit fell to the messy floor when the silver haired man struggled to his feet, swaying slightly before regaining his balance, and willed a wave of nausea away. Stupid demon! People could get killed!

"Unca Loz!"

The thin voice was filled with fear and he spun around to find his niece by the crumbled form of Tifa. Two other women sat kneeling beside the unconscious woman too, eyeing him with nothing less than fear. A little girl squirmed in the grip of the woman with the darkest hair, crying out for her mother. Loz took a wobbly step towards them, ignoring how the two women flinched, and focused his gaze on Zefiris.

"Auntie Tifa..." Tears filled the emerald green eyes of the silver haired girl. "Auntie Tifa got hurt... Can't you help her, Unca Loz?"

Loz gazed down at the still form and noticed the small trickle of blood from her eyebrow. (She had amazingly long eyelashes.) He tilted his head, wondering if her hair was as soft as it appeared to be where it pooled around her, and finally kneeled down beside her as well. Giving a quick glance at the two women eyeing him with fear and anger, the silver haired man managed a faint smile in hopes of reassuring them. "I got her, Zefy. Don't you worry." He held the gaze of the woman with darkest hair. "You got some place for injured people?" She nodded nervously. Loz nodded as well, gathering Tifa up in his arms and straightening. "Wanna lead the way?"

A little boy with hair the colour of fire eyed him seriously, and took the hand of the crying girl. He seemed to challenge Loz with his glare, something the young man found utterly amusing.

"Don't worry. I know how you feel." Loz tried a reassuring smile before following the frightened women gathering the other children. The brunette felt strangely light in his arms and his gaze was drawn to her face once again. She was strong, this one. Willing to die for the children.

The monsters created out of the will of Jenova exploded into dust as Loz' mind failed to keep the connection to the beasts. He'd been looking for Mother for as long as he could remember and he wondered if Mother would be willing to die for her sons like the woman in his arms.

His heart said no.

* * *

Rufus refused to acknowledge the chill up his spine when the building shook once again, but focused on reading the last lines of the report Reno sent him. As much as he relied on fire-power, the brat prince always knew the value of information! 

He got up and put the shotgun in it's holster by his ribs, ready to move out and join his troops, when there was a step into his office.

"Going somewhere?"

Tensing, Rufus slowly gazed over at the figure in the doorway. "That was the original plan. To what do I owe this visit, Kadaj?"

The young silver haired man gave a dangerous smile and stepped forward to stand in front of the desk. "I was hoping to talk to you before I met up with big brother."

"I'm honoured," Rufus declared smoothly as his hand slid towards the weapon he'd just holstered. "Any particular reason?"

Kadaj's smile widened a touch and he gave a little shake of his head to prove how futile it would be for ShinRa to draw his weapon. Only when Rufus lowered his hand did the silver haired man reveal what was on his mind. "Remember what you told me in the cell? That you would fight us. That you would win." Kadaj's smile turned cruel. "The ninja and her boyfriend is dead. Highwind is dying. Valentine is on our side now. No Strife to save the day. My dear big brother is growing weaker and weaker..."

Rufus' eyes narrowed. "You're enjoying this..."

"Of course I am!" Kadaj laughed merrily as he gestured faintly to his surroundings. "I was born to make this happen! I am Mother's arm! Bringing justice!"

"You were born in Cosmo Canyon," Rufus corrected coolly. "You and your brother. Brother. Not brothers." He searched the reptilian eyes for any sign of sanity but found none to be reasoned with. "You know what you're doing is futile. You 'know' you wont succeed, in your heart, and yet you refuse to realise that you have a choice."

Tensing, Kadaj placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Words were always your strength, Mr President. But words wont save your friends this time."

Fear seeped into him, yes, but stubbornness was the one feeling that overcame it, and Rufus managed a faint smile. "I doubt they need saving."

Kadaj took a step towards him, his hand half-drawing the double-sword, when a familiar voice called out his name. Blinking surprised, Kadaj glanced back to see the bleeding Yazoo lean heavily against the door-frame. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to deal with the ShinRa soldiers!"

Clutching his bleeding stomach hard, Yazoo managed to straighten and take an unsteady step into the room. "Sephiroth..."

Kadaj's eyes narrowed with fury and he stalked over to his brother. "I'll deal with him." A Restore materia was shoved into Kadaj's free hand. "Patch yourself together. We still have work to do. Start by killing off ShinRa. Team up with Loz afterwards."

Rufus watched silently as Yazoo stuttered something in vain as Kadaj stalked away, allowed the wounded man to stop the bleeding with the aid of the cure materia, before he spoke to another of Jenova's dangerous spawn. "You're the one who gave Zefiris back..."

Yazoo's once youthful face now looked tired and pained. "Don't confuse me with someone you can manipulate, ShinRa. My brother wants you dead. Simple as that."

Blue eyes flickered as shadowy beasts materialized out of thin air and Rufus backed up to the wall. His eyes saw but his rational mind found it hard to believe that fifteen of these creatures had just appeared out of nothing. "You might want to hear what I know though..."

A weary snort and Yazoo shook his head, a flick of his wrist making the growling beasts advance on their prey. "I severely doubt that."

"He's not your brother!" Rufus sneered, pulling out his shotgun and tried to keep calm. "He's using you. Like Jenova is using him."

Anger flared up and Yazoo took a second unsteady step into the room. "Shut your face, ShinRa! You're lying! Liar! I know my own family!"

"Do you?" Rufus shouted back. "Do you really?" He swallowed hard as the shadow beasts were dangerously close now. "On my computer. The file on you and your 'brothers'! Read it!"

Yazoo hesitated, his mind screaming for him to ignore the brat prince and follow Kadaj's orders, but his heart... His heart had been trying to voice it's worries for so long now and it wouldn't be silenced anymore. The young man felt sick with worry as he slowly rounded the desk and the light from the screen hit his face while his eyes began taking in the words. The words that would shatter his world.

Rufus dared a quick glance out the window, seeing the ominous presence of Chaos tearing it's way through Midgar without the gun fire even slowing it down. Even if they managed to defeat Kadaj and the other two, there was no way they could beat that thing...

"I'm sorry, Tifa..."

* * *

_AN; Update! At long last! To whomever still reads this and to the ones who joins up: Thank you for your patience. I shall not bore you with the details. Two people I loved very much was taken from me with little time between them and writing seemed impossible. Yet my love for this story and this characters is as strong now as before and I promised to not leave this discontinued! Yes, people, the updates are back on track! Huzzah!_


	13. So slide back down and close your eyes

**13, So slide back down and close your eyes. Sleep a while, you must be tired.**

_AN; An update? No way! Oh, yes way!_

* * *

Sephiroth pushed Aeris harshly out of harm's way and barely avoided Chaos' shot himself. "You need to get out of here!"

Gazing over at him, Aeris managed to scramble up on her knees and flinched at a nearby explosion.

She wanted to scream that she could take care of herself, that she was no stranger to battle and had even fought Jenova herself once, but knew she was only endangering Sephiroth when he felt that he had to look after her as well as himself.

Aeris slowly got up on her feet and waited until Sephiroth glanced over at her. "Y-You be careful! Promise!"

Relief washed over him and the silver haired man managed a faint smile. "Go!"

Running away at that moment was one of the hardest things Aeris had ever done in her life. She clenched her jaw tight and set course for the annex, knowing the stairs would lead her away and him behind.

But the thought of Sephiroth being hurt because of her...

Aeris yanked up the door and aimed to climb down the stairs.

Only to walk straight into a wall.

No. Not a wall.

The pained cry made Sephiroth gaze over quickly and freeze at the sight of Kadaj holding Aeris' throat in a vice-like grip.

"Leaving already?" Kadaj smiled like a razor blade. Pure malice radiating from his eyes.

Sephiroth straightened and tightened his grip on the Masamune. "Let her go. She's got nothing to do with this."

Kadaj made Aeris tilt her head by a painful grip on her chin. "You're probably right…" His eyes moved over to hold Sephiroth's gaze and didn't hesitate as he flung the brunette aside. The smile on his face only seem to widened as he heard her body crash through obstacles and the pure fear in the other man's eyes told him just how close to the edge her now unconscious form was lying.

He was physically unable to keep himself from stepping forward in his instinct to go to her, but Kadaj quickly got in Sephiroth's way and drew his two-bladed sword.

"Don't you want to play, big brother?" Kadaj snarled with disgust. "All that power and you reject Mother for her…"

Sephiroth barely managed to tear his eyes off Aeris and focused on the silver haired youth with a harsh smile. "She lied to me too once, you know…"  
Kadaj frowned confused.

"Mother. Jenova." Sephiroth shrugged off old memories. "I was her puppet once too, like you are now, but I'll rather die than to go back to that now." He got into a fighting position. "Move."

Sneering a laugh, Kadaj raised an eyebrow. "You're pretty confident, Sephiroth. You thrive on the power Mother gives you. Let's see how well you do without it."

Sephiroth lifted the Masamune. "I told you to move aside, brat." Final warning.

Kadaj grinned.

He took one step towards the younger man, but suddenly it felt like electricity shot through Sephiroth's body. Like a true puppet, he was yanked upright as pain raged through him, ravaging his senses and forcing the air out of his lungs.

Voices. Memories. Past and present. Thoughts and regrets. Everything flickered in front of his eyes.

Sephiroth vaguely heard Kadaj scream as well.

Waking up surrounded by ice. Yazoo and Loz.

Falling to his knees, Sephiroth clutched his head in agony and despair.

Jenova.

Kadaj stumbled back and nearly lost balance, trembling at the raw energy humming in his veins. It was amazing! No wonder they'd lost against big brother! This power was without equal! With this power, he could not be defeated!

Sephiroth fought for air as his body refused to stop trembling. He felt so incredibly weak. Managing to lift his gaze, he saw the still form of a young woman. He knew her, didn't he?

Something told him it was very important that he remembered her name.

"Mother doesn't need you anymore," Kadaj declared almost softly. "I'll help her destroy this world! Me! Her true son!"

Shaking his head, Sephiroth didn't pay attention to the words. He had to remember!

What was her name?

* * *

Stepping forward, Kadaj gazed down at the abandoned Masamune. "Mother still wants you to join us, brother." He frowned. "Can you still refuse her?" 

Sephiroth didn't reply, lost in the rising panic. Why didn't he remember? WHY?

"She gave you everything, brother. You owe her your life!"

The words seemed distant in the fog that was clouding the former general's mind. Sephiroth tried to struggle free in vain and could only close his eyes in an effort to block out the voice. He had to focus on a pink dress. Green eyes. Flowers.

Kadaj growled angrily before reaching out to grasp the hilt of the infamous sword. "Very well, big brother. Let us see how your pride matters when you die by your own sword!"

Green eyes. Flowers. What was her name?

His intended attack halted abruptly as Kadaj found the Masamune impossible to move! His hand pulling fiercely at the hilt, but the thing appeared glued to the ground. "I'm your master now! You will obey ME!"

The sword did not seem impressed nor persuaded.

Putting his own sword in its sheath, Kadaj grasped the hilt with both hands and focused all his newly granted power on raising the sword.

It did not budge an inch.

Kadaj pulled at the deadly weapon with all this might to no avail and immature anger flooded his mind. "You wish to follow your master then? Fine!" He delivered a harsh kick that actually sent the shining blade sliding into a pile of rubbish. "I can kill just as easily with my own sword!"

Sephiroth flinched absently at the sound of Kadaj cutting the air with his double-bladed sword but made no move to counter the attack or flee.

He had to remember… If he didn't remember, there was no reason to fight, was there?

Flowers!

Burning with fury and humiliation, Kadaj stalked towards the kneeling man and raised his sword. "Goodbye, brother…"

"NO!" Slender hands grasped his wrist and prevented the strike.

Kadaj glared over at Aeris. "You…" He tore free and stumbled a step back. "Stay out of this!"

A backhand impacted with her cheekbone and Aeris hit the ground hard, the shock and pain numbing her enough for Kadaj to raise his sword and aim his anger at her instead.

Sephiroth's eyes focused and he quickly reached out his hand.

Lost in his anger, Kadaj failed to hear the rattling of the blade and surprise nearly drowned out the pain when the Masamune impaled his chest.

Aeris slowly lowered the arm she'd raised in instinctive defense and gazed over at the kneeling man who'd just saved her life.

Exhaling, Sephiroth sent the brunette an apologetic look.

He was so tired. So very tired.

Calling Masamune had taken everything he had left and he knew the strike was far from enough to stop Kadaj for good.

As their eyes met, they both knew they'd lost.

Crawling towards him, Aeris cried silently as she entered his embrace.

Aeris. Her name was Aeris!

He remembered everything now!

Even as he lost, Sephiroth knew he'd won. Jenova still couldn't break his spirit. His body, yes, but his mind? His freedom? His love?

Never.

Tightening his grip around her slightly, shielding her eyes, Sephiroth closed his own as Kadaj came closer.

He'd always known death would find him one day.

It was only a matter of time for all living things.

He was just grateful for the last years. For the time with Aeris. For Zefiris.

It was worth it.

It was worth every single moment.

Aeris felt a single wing wrap around her and the tears dried up. Calm replaced fear.

It was here she wanted to be. In his arms.

Sephiroth whispered something in her ear. She smiled and replied in turn.

There was no pain.

* * *

Barret cursed furiously as the bullets caused another creature to explode into dust only to be replaced with two more. 

This was impossible!

They'd been killing these things for ages now and they just kept coming! Just kept increasing in numbers!

Glancing over at the orange beast by his side, Barret saw the clear fatigue in his ally's movements. They were losing.

A shadow beast leaped towards him only to be greeted by a shower of bullets.

A jolt of pain shot up Barret's arm to remind him that to make matters worse; the gun arm was near over-heating.

It wouldn't last much longer either way.

"Hey, cat!"

Despite nearly losing a paw at hearing Barret calling him a cat, Seto still managed an annoyed look. "I told you, please refrain from calling me that!"

Barret grinned satisfied. "Got your attention, didn'it?" He barely avoided a pair of shadow fangs locking on to his throat and sent the creature flying with a hard punch from his human fist. "Listen, you need to get the kids. Get them out of here. This place is gonna be swarming with these things soon!"

Seto started violently. "What? Have you lost your mind?"

"We ain't got no other choice!"

"If I leave, you won't stand a chance against them!" Seto argued fiercely.

Barret choked out a poisonous laugh. "We don't stand a chance together, bub. But you gotta make sure the kids get out! Ok?"

Seto hesitated. The thought of leaving the man to a certain death did not sit well with him, but his words rang undeniably true.

Not gazing over at the orange beast, Barret forced himself to focus on the shadow creatures. He didn't want to die. Didn't want to admit that the thought of falling to the fangs and claws of these monsters scared him.

"I can't just leave you!" Seto hissed desperately.

Barret placed his hand just where the metal of his gun arm melted into his human flesh, hoping to ease some of the pain, but managed to send Seto a strained smile. "Not giving you much choice, foo. Either you leave or I'm gonna cap your ass myself! Marlene always wanted a stuffed cat!"

A long hesitation. Reluctantly seeing the wisdom in the request. "I'll see you in the Lifestream," Seto declared, making it sound like a promise.

Barret managed a nod with a slight smile. "Yeah we will. Now, git, cat!"

Forcing himself to focus on the nightmare creatures, Barret clutched his gun arm and tried to ignore the darts of pain following each shot.

The gun arm was dangerously close to over-heating now.

And despite everything, Barret was still able to feel the shock stun him when a flash of orange flew by him and slammed into the wall.

He could tell by the trail of blood that the father of Red would probably never get up again.

Slowly turning around, foolishly turning his back on the monsters, Barret swallowed hard at the sight of the silver haired man. Short hair, reptile eyes and a wide smirk.

"Want to play?" Loz cracked his knuckles with lazy ease, gave a faint nod and threw out a deadly punch.

The fight was fierce but brief. Constant movement. Fists barely dodged shattered walls. Bullets unable to hit flesh that moved too fast for the eye to see. A losing battle had turned into a predator toying with its prey.

Loz chuckled amused as his opponent stumbled away and clutched his gun-arm. He could play like this for hours! Kadaj didn't say he wasn't allowed to play. The grin widened.

Panting, Barret knew he had to make a choice.

He thought about Marlene. He thought about Tarita. He refused to think about the hint she'd dropped the last time he'd spoken to her on the PHS.

"Wouldn't it be nice for Marlene to have a sibling?"

Loz blinked surprised when Barret didn't run, merely grabbed a firm hold of his wrist before the fist impacted with his mid-section and just held Loz' hand there.

Reptile eyes widened with horror when the other man released Big Shot, causing the gun-arm to finally over-heat and explode.

* * *

Cid gazed up at the sky. 

He felt strangely calm.

Maybe you got used to it after facing death several times? Maybe it stopped scaring you after it took your friends, one by one, and left you to watch.

Or, he was just ready for it.

"Let's do this."

_Are you sure, Cid Highwind?_

"Yeah."

_There will be no turning back._

"I know."

_Then let's do this._

Cid closed his eyes, released the control and felt the power of Panlong tear out his chest as it shot towards the sky. The pain was sharp, like always, but he didn't mind.

One last time. One last battle.

Clouds began gathering in the sky, thunder rolling in the distance, and the roar of the mighty water dragon made the ground tremble.

Engulfed in complete darkness, Cid closed his eyes and could almost feel the scaly body dance its way up into the heavens as the first rain drops fell.

Curling and coiling, Panlong roared its challenge.

Chaos replied, spreading its wings and releasing a glowing aura.

A ray of energy barely missed the water dragon, allowing even Cid to sense the searing heat from its proximity, yet Panlong's claws found their target and locked around Chaos' arm.

Coiling around its prey, the mighty dragon roared again and lifted its head for a strike.

Sensing the danger, Chaos sent a pure ray of energy into the soft belly of the dragon, causing Cid to scream in the darkness and a single crack in the blue orb in Panlong's grasp.

Deadly fangs opened and Chaos prevented them from locking around him by a desperate grip on the dragon's left horn.

The grip tightened.

In the darkness, Cid clutched his head and screamed even louder.

Trembling, Panlong and Chaos measured their strength as they pushed at the other. Pushing until something had to give.

Lightning flashed and thunder exploded as the clawed hand of Chaos caused Panlong's horn to break off yet freed the dragon to dig it's fangs into the demonic flesh.

Cid fell back and blood filled his mouth. His body was shaking from the tortured shock.

The blue orb cracked even more and a small but steady drip of blood followed.

Struggling to breathe, Cid finally stopped convulsing and the darkness felt even more suffocating.

Its jaws locked over Chaos' shoulder, Panlong's fangs were deep into the creature's chest and back, but the water dragon could feel its power fading.

Fading with each drop of blood.

Struggling, Chaos clawed at the scale wall keeping it trapped and it was trying to battle the small sense of fear at the back of its skull. Another ray of energy nearly depleted its power, but Chaos felt a shudder of joy seeing the wound torn in the ray's path along Panlong's ribs.

Rolling over on his side, feeling like a knife cut through his skin, Cid barely managed a hoarse scream. Blood was everywhere now. Dear Planet, he couldn't take much more…

A small piece of the orb cracked loose and fell towards the ground.

Panlong tightened around Chaos, tightened until the bones trapped in its coils and between its jaws crackled, when it finally was forced to release the demon when its strength faded and started sinking.

A long, mournful sound emanated from the water dragon as it squirmed helplessly against gravity.

Cid slowly opened his eyes in the darkness. "We did good… Right?"

_Forgive me, Cid Highwind…_

The scaly blue body landed semi-gently on the soaked asphalt, a trembling mess of wounded flesh and broken bones.

"It's ok. We did good. They can take it from here."

And then the blue orb shattered.

* * *

Rufus watched as Yazoo read the files. Watched as his life was shattered in front of his eyes. 

Yazoo's eyes flew over the lines in the rapport, his mind realizing what his heart had refused to believe. He'd known, hadn't he?

The unease. The constant feeling of being the one on the outside. He didn't belong.

Kadaj and Loz. Brothers, but not his.

Yazoo trembled, unknowingly causing the shadow monsters to growl aggressively and move closer to the tense Rufus. "Lies…"

"You know it's the truth," Rufus sneered, not taking his eyes off the monster eyeing him hungrily and slowly reached towards his shot-gun again.

Shaking his head, Yazoo felt like screaming. Everything had been in vain. He'd fought so long and so hard, not for Jenova, but to protect his brothers. His family.

Rufus saw the young man lost in his pain and finally reached for the weapon inside his coat.

Yazoo didn't even glance over, merely reached out a hand and Rufus was forced to abandon his reach for the shot-gun as he raised his arm to prevent the monster's fangs from tearing out his throat. The silver haired man did not flinch at the pained scream, merely straightened and closed the program.

He had to get away. Far away!

"Kadaj ordered me to kill you." Even Yazoo's voice didn't sound like his own anymore. Distant. Cold.

Rufus struggled not to sink to his knees under the weight of the shadow beast with its jaws locked around his wrist and showing no signs of letting go. He had to try twice before he managed to speak through the raw pain. "You don't have to obey him anymore." The blood seemed to seep through the unnatural mouth and drip down to pool on the floor.

Reptile eyes flashes with something hard and Yazoo tensed angrily. A slight nod of his head made several more beasts approach the trapped ShinRa.

Swallowing hard, Rufus cast a quick glance out the window and felt a weak sense of relief at not seeing Chaos' ominous presence in the sky. If the demon was gone, the troops might be able to deal with the trio and keep Tifa and the twins safe even if he didn't make it himself.

Yazoo turned away and walked out of the room, not looking back as the beasts kept inching closer to their trapped prey, but his numbness was shattered at the sight that met him out in the hall-way.

Barely able to stand, Loz leaned heavily against the wall. "Y-Yazoo…? I'm not crying…"

Starting, Yazoo ran over to support the other man as his legs gave in."Loz! What happened?" There was a soft sound as the shadow beasts became dust.

"He got me good, Yazoo." Loz hissed with pain, covered with cuts and blood.

Yazoo shook his head as he let his hands hover over at particularly nasty wound. "I think I can heal the worst of it with the materia Kadaj gave me, but you're a mess. We need to get out of here, Loz!"

Struggling up, much thanks to the help of Yazoo, Loz found himself swaying on his feet again. "What?"

"This is suicide, Loz!" Yazoo spoke hastily, knowing Kadaj wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice them both. "We need to leave! Now!"

Loz sighed depressed. "You going against Kadaj again, aren't you?"

"What? No!" Yazoo reached out desperately as Loz took a step away. "Listen, Loz, I…" He never got to finish the sentence as the other man suddenly lashed out after him. Dodging the attack easily, he watched helplessly as Loz lost balance and sank down again.

"You promised you wouldn't betray him again," Loz complained agonized while struggling to his feet again.

Yazoo moved to support him, but had to dodge a second punch. It left a huge hole in the wall. "Loz, please…!"

Gritting his teeth against the pain and the dizzy feeling of blood-loss, Loz clung to the one clear thought in his mind; Kadaj's orders. "He said if you went against him again; I had to kill you."

Backing away, Yazoo swallowed down the hurt. "Loz…"

It was only natural that Loz would be more loyal to Kadaj. They were brothers. Family.

Yazoo was alone.

Making his choice, Yazoo slowly removed the Restore materia from himself and tossed it over to Loz. "I'm sorry, Loz…"

Loz blinked confused. "Yazoo?"

It took everything in him, but Yazoo finally moved back towards the door to the stairs and turned away.

He ran.

And it would be a very, very long time before he would stop.

* * *

Despite their suspicions and fear, Loz had brought Tifa to the infirmary on the ground floor and left with a mere longing glance at the unconscious woman. Shera and Rain were trying to help as much as they could, with the infirmary filled with wounded soldiers and not nearly enough doctors. 

A nurse was tending to the children in the doctors' office when Hojo appeared in the door. Seeing how he'd claimed the office as his own, there was still only a flicker of surprise at seeing it invaded. "I heard Lockhart was brought here?"

"She's stabilized. Should be awake soon." The nurse seemed uncomfortable under the amber gaze of Hojo and seemed to clutch Zefiris closer more for her own sake than the wide-eyed child's.

Hojo gave a short nod before turning on his heel and walk out. He took two steps before coming to an abrupt halt.

Shera tightened her grip on the blood-stained bandages she was holding and stared harshly at the scientist.

Swallowing hard, Hojo found himself unable to defend himself for the first time in his life. He knew that, logically speaking, he'd done what he had to do. He'd do it again. No hesitation. But for some reason, he couldn't shake off the blame in her eyes like he used to.

"Daddy?"

The small voice cut through the mayhem and both Hojo and Shera quickly gazed over to see Dawn standing on a chair and looking out the window.

Running over, Rain picked up Dawn and stared with horror at what was happening outside.

Chaos was on the ground, down on one knee with one broken wing hanging awkwardly behind him, and lashing out energy rays at the ShinRa soldiers surrounding it.

"Dear Planet, no…" Rain whispered as fear flooded her veins. "They're going to kill him…"

Appearing next to her, Shera made no reply. Her own eyes locked on a form a small distance away. Cid.

Rain didn't get a chance to say anything before the other woman simply turned and ran. Casting a final glance out the window, she suddenly walked over to Hojo. "Vincent said never to trust you." She saw the scorn in the scientist's eyes. "But Aeris does. So I'm going to do the same." With that, Rain handed the puzzled Dawn over to the startled man. "I can't let them kill him!"

"Wait! What…" Hojo stared after Rain as she ran, his sentence cut off by the door slamming shut behind her, and he slowly turned his gaze back at the little girl he was holding with straight arms. "Great…"

Reaching the exit door just as it was closing after Shera passing through it; Rain stepped outside and came to a halt. She saw the other woman racing towards the fallen Cid. She saw the burning buildings, the fallen soldiers and destroyed cars. She saw the wounded and surrounded demon.

Then she saw the soldier raising a huge weapon aiming to fire a missile to end the fight.

"No! Stop!" Rain rushed over, getting between the soldier and the furious Chaos. "You can't kill him!"

The soldiers and the demon battled for the most confused expression.

Slowly back up towards Chaos, Rain finally dared to turn and kneel in front of it. Flinching at the open wounds and broken bones, she saw the anger of a trapped animal in the unnatural eyes. "Vincent…"

Chaos bared it's fangs in something between a sneer and a smile. "_**Vincent is gone. Only death here."**_

Rain bit back a sob, reaching out to touch the unfamiliar face but let her hand merely hover near it as the demon tensed dangerously. "Vincent, please…"

For a moment, it was almost silent, except for the sound for fires and a distant scream from someone in pain. For a moment, she was allowed to hope.

She didn't even notice when Shera's sorrow filled the air.

Chaos closed its eyes for a heat-beat and when it opened them again, they were filled with malice. "_**Vincent is gone."**_

Rain never saw the light surrounding Chaos' hand, how it shaped itself into a long dagger before it was rammed into her chest to pierce her very heart.

Shock drowned out the pain at first. Rain's eyes were wide with surprise only for a second before they darted from the deadly wound to Chaos' face. A ghost of a smile still lingered on her lips. She held the gaze, looking deep into the unnatural eyes, beyond the demon and seeing the man trapped in there.

Vincent.

'_I love you…'_ Rain managed to mouth the words, her hand falling to her side as she slowly sank forward and her head came to rest on Chaos' shoulder.

A clawed hand slowly came up to hold her close and a scream was building deep down in the demon's throat. Building and building until it tore free with pure agony of a shattered soul.

A human scream.

* * *

Voices. Hurried and tense. People running. Screams from someone in pain. Muffled sounds of explosions. 

Tifa felt sleep was heavy on her mind, but a gnawing feeling told her this was not the time to be sleeping. There was something important she had to do. Something important she needed to remember.

Slowly, eyelashes fluttered before lifting to reveal drowsy wine colored eyes.

She appeared to be in the infirmary. And so were a lot of ShinRa soldiers. What…?

Tifa sat up abruptly as the memories came flooding back. The children! She had to…

Aiming to slide out of bed, she halted mid-movement upon seeing a familiar shape standing by the window. Frowning confused, Tifa finally put her feet on the ground, but made no move to actually stand as dizziness was quickly staking claim on her. "Hojo…?" He didn't react. "Hojo, what is going on? The children…"

"Are in the next room." The scientist interrupted her without taking his eyes off whatever he was staring at.

Tifa swallowed hard. "Hojo. Look at me, Hojo." She waited until he did. "What's happening?"

Hojo frowned as if he had a hard time understanding the words he was going to say himself. "We're losing."

"What?"

"Losing, Lockhart. We're losing." Hojo turned back to stare out the window, not sure why he couldn't take his eyes off Shera's and Vincent's pain. "They're dying…"

There would be no winners this time. Only loss on all sides. Losses that could never be replaced.

Shaking her head, Tifa carefully got up and found her balance. "What do you mean 'dying'? Who is dying?" She stumbled over and grabbed a hold of his white jacket to keep from sinking to her knees. "They can't die!"

Hojo clenched his jaw hard as Vincent, now in his human form, let out another scream that pierced the sound of the wounded Midgar. "We lose…"

Letting go, Tifa fell to her knees as tears flooded her vision. Rufus? Everyone? Who would the next coffin lowered into the ground belong to? Did she even want to know?

Why did this have to happen? WHY?

Lost in the grief threatening to destroy her completely, Tifa failed to notice the sounds vanishing and how she was suddenly alone in the room. No. Not all alone.

A lone figure stood beside her.

A light nudge at her shoulder and Tifa found a handkerchief held out to her. Blindly accepting, she buried her face in it.

"I'm sorry…"

Tifa glanced up to find the small figure of the Sage next to her. "What…? What are you doing here?"

"I never meant for this to happen…"

"I don't understand…" Tifa began meekly, not sure why she couldn't take her eyes off the strange person.

The Sage sighed deeply. "Things have gone too far." He let a few moments of silence pass. "You're crying."

The young woman flinched. "My friends…" And her husband?

"You've all fought bravely." The Sage leaned heavily on his cane. "I guess I should learn from your example."

It seemed like the old man was lost in his own world, like always, so Tifa let herself sink back into her grief. It felt like a cold iron claw around her heart, squeezing and squeezing until she thought the pain would actually kill her too. "Please…" She shook violently as sobs racked through her. "Please, make it stop…" An anguished plea that she knew was impossible to grant.

Patting her shoulder, the Sage sighed deeply again. "I'm going to miss this life, you know?" His voice was deeply tainted with regret and so resigned it could cut your soul.

Tifa trembled without even hearing his words.

The Sage glanced around, now letting his hand rest on her shoulder. "I'm going to miss all of it."

A violent flash of light followed, causing Tifa to gasp surprised and shield her eyes from it. Then silence followed. Not daring to lower her arms at first, she wondered if this was how it felt to be dead.

"Welcome to the Lifestream, Tifa."

Peeking, she found herself standing in some strange place. Everything was the colour of the trees in the Lost City, except that there were no trees here. Actually, there was no nothing. Just light.

And the Sage hovering in front of her.

"Is this the Lifestream?" She didn't dare to ask if she really was dead.

The Sage nodded. "Yes. This is the final stop, Tifa. This is where all souls go." He tilted his hat slightly further back on his head with his cane. "Now, we have much to discuss."

As the Sage floated by her, Tifa turned around to follow but froze with a gasp.

Sephiroth. Yuffie. Cid. Vincent. Cloud. Hojo. And everyone else. Everyone was there!

* * *

_AN; Ah, yes, the plot thickens! At long last! Erm, will be working on an update as soon as humanly possible!_


	14. The beginning of the end

**14.**** The beginning of the end.**

* * *

_AN: This chapter is all talk, really. And it is also the last chapter of Lost and Found. I hope you will still enjoy it and forgive my late update. Again! _

_Thanks to everyone who supported me through these chapters with their wonderfully kind words! I could not have done this without you!_

_The final lines in this chapter are dedicated to all of you who took the time to let me know that you enjoy my fic, as I loved writing it!_

* * *

Tifa stared with disbelief at the glowing figures. "Are they… dead?" Numbly walking over to stand in front of Rufus, she reached out to touch him. 

It was like sliding her hand through warm water when it broke the glowing barrier, but the human inside was real enough.

"Not all of them." The Sage gazed at Rufus as well. "Your husband is alive."

Frowning confused, Tifa withdrew her hand and turned to face the Sage. "You said we were in the Lifestream. How is that possible? Who are you?"

Chuckling, the Sage waved his cane in her direction. "You always were the sharp one." He hovered over to Yuffie. "It's a complicated tale, Lockhart."

Tifa gave an antsy shrug. "Looks like I'm not going anywhere."

The Sage chuckled again. "A sharp mind as well as a sharp tongue." He glanced up at Hawk by Yuffie's side. "I think everyone had better be awake for this tale."

Staring from one to the other of the glowing figures, Tifa wrung her hands anxiously. "You can do that? I mean, you can make everything alright again?"

"Things that have happened cannot be undone." The Sage sounded strangely solemn. He waved his cane once and the air was soon filled with groggy and confused mutterings.

Whimpering, Tifa automatically threw her arms around Rufus's neck and hugged him with all her might. She firmly ignored his gasps for air until she saw the puzzled Cloud. The brat prince had barely time to complain about how she'd probably broken his neck before Cloud was in the same grip.

"I know you're all very confused right now, but if you listen to me a moment; I hope I might be able to answer some of your questions." The Sage hovered up in to the air and gazed at each person in turn.

Sephiroth automatically clutched Aeris close in a protective gesture. "YOU!"

Hojo merely glanced around with a tired sigh. Was destiny ever going to leave him alone?

"Where are we?" Aeris chimed in, strangely grateful for the firm arm around her.

"This place has many names…" The Sage pushed his hat a little further back on his head. "The Lifestream. Limbo. Purgatory. Nowhere. Death."

Everyone stopped talking now and was staring at the small man.

Finally Reno cleared his throat and scratched his neck awkwardly. "So… we're dead?"

"No." The Sage looked over at Cid standing next to the red head. "But some of you are."

"Why are we here?" Cloud demanded, breaking free from Tifa and stepping forward.

"Give the man a chance," Cid replied silently but without breaking eye-contact with the Sage. "He said he would explain. Let him."

Nodding gratefully, the Sage then gathered his courage. "It all started long ago. Long, long ago. When the Cetra was new to this world and humanity was still in possession of the four elemental materia." A flicker of long forgotten memories. "When Jenova began infecting humans, the Cetra decided to use the elemental materia to battle the Crisis and to use the materia; they needed to use the humans."

"The Planet objected. Its children were not pawns in the battle between Cetra and Jenova." A sad smile was hidden behind the huge beard. "However, the objection was ignored and the result was devastating." The Sage fell silent for a few seconds, appearing to search for words and strength. "Jenova was captured in the Planet's core. The humans were scattered. Three of the four elemental materias were destroyed. And the Cetra became near extinct."

Sephiroth and Aeris exchanged glances.

"After that, humans lost contact with the Planet, blaming it for the war and the droughts." Lowering his head, the Sage's face was shielded by his hat. "Abandoned by its children, painful injuries from the war, the poison of Jenova still in its veins and filled with the avenging spirits of the deceased Cetra, the soul of the Planet broke free."

Moving over to stand in front of the Sage, Tifa felt a shiver run down her spine. "You."

The Sage gave a mournful smile. "As much as the children hated the Planet, the Planet never stopped loving them. So where else would it hide its soul than among the brood it set higher than its own life?"

Nervous mumbling broke out again until Cloud spoke up. "You still haven't told us why we're here."

"You're here because everything that has happened has been a part of their plan."

"What plan? Who are they? "Cloud was losing his patience.

"Shut up!" Cid snapped angrily, glaring over at the other blonde. "Let him talk!"

"The Cetra has been planning their final attack on Jenova for thousands of years. Building their army and biding their time." The old man stuck his chin out slightly. "But this time they went too far…"

* * *

Sephiroth fought to find his voice. "Everything has happened according to their plan...? Even…" 

"They've watched your life carefully, Sephiroth. You're the general of Jenova's army so they sent their best soldier to battle you; Aeris."

Sephiroth and Aeris exchanged looks again, but stayed pale and silent.

The Sage moved his gaze back to everyone else. "Both sides have scouted for strong souls. They need powerful beings to make sure this war ends once and for all. And both sides will use any means necessary."

"That's being a bit harsh, isn't it?" A voice suddenly asked merrily and caused everyone to turn and stare.

Hojo let out a furious hiss. "Gast."

Gast and Ifalna's ghostly figures stepped out of the light and became solid shapes. The Cetra woman gazed longingly at the daughter that refused to meet her eyes while Gast refused to look at anyone except the Sage. "So the prodigal son has returned…"

The Sage gave a little tip of his hat. "Gast. Ifalna. I was waiting for you to show up."

"Is that so?" Gast gave a little smile and crossed his arms.

Gazing over at Sephiroth, the Sage poked the cane in his direction. "I suspected you'd show up to demand he'd fulfill your deal."

The silver haired man paled even more.

Gast's smile widened a fraction. "You always did know everything, Deiqao."

"Deal?" Aeris tensed anxiously as she could taste the danger in that word. "There was a deal? A deal about what?"

Ifalna fidgeted uneasily. "Sephiroth made a deal with the Cetra to bring Hojo back."

Upon hearing his name, Hojo finally managed to tear his eyes away from his former rival and stared with disbelief at his son. "You… You IDIOT! You made a deal with THEM? Are you really that STUPID?" His rant was cut short when a calming hand landed on his upper arm and Lucrecia gave him a tiny shake of her head.

"I didn't have a choice!" Sephiroth bit back, hoping the anger would suppress the fear.

Aeris took a hard hold of Sephiroth's arm, asking in a low and frightened voice. "What did you agree to?"

Closing his eyes, Sephiroth exhaled. "A life… for a life." He looked over at Gast and forced himself to straighten. "So you've come to collect, huh? Fair enough." The silver haired man gave a faint shrug. "So you get my life in exchange for his life."

Gast shook his head.

Sephiroth flinched, as if the other man had just hit him. "What…?"

The Sage removed his sunglasses to reveal deep green eyes. "Who do you want, Gast?"

Sephiroth automatically took a step in front of Aeris and placed his hand on the Masamune. Wait, he still had the Masamune?

"ShinRa."

Starting, Rufus gazed confused from one to the other. "What? What about me?"

"ShinRa was supposed to die back then, but you interfered, Deiqao." Gast's eyes narrowed slightly. "A life for a life, that was the deal. We want Rufus ShinRa."

"Has everyone lost their bleeding minds?" Rufus pulled his hands through his hair. "This is crazy! The Cetra is after me now? First Cid and now me? What's going on here?" He barely noticed Tifa grasping his arm.

The Sage shook his head with a sad sigh. "They want you because of your gift, Rufus."

Rufus clenched his jaw hard, battling between confusion and fear. "I don't understand…"

"Your dreams. Your visions." The Sage hovered closer to the brat prince. "You've had them all your life, but you always knew better than to speak of them to anyone. Because you knew… You knew what they meant."

Taking a step back, Rufus swallowed hard. "It's not… I can't…"

Not taking his eyes off Rufus, the Sage turned his question to Gast and Ifalna. "A life for a life. And you wish for Rufus ShinRa to die."

"Yes." Gast reached out to take Ifalna's hand, needing her strength to say the one word that would doom the young man.

"So if Sephiroth takes the life of Rufus ShinRa, the deal is fulfilled?"

"Yes."

Sephiroth shivered. "No. Never!" He had Cid's blood on his hands, wasn't that punishment enough?

Rufus saw the Sage give a flick of his wrist, saw the glow around Sephiroth's hand, and he managed to shove Tifa away before the Masamune cut through his chest. Stunned, he gazed quizzically at Sephiroth as if he couldn't really understand what had just happened.

* * *

Sephiroth stared horrified at Rufus. Seeing his own hands wrapped around the hilt of the Masamune and the blood dripping to the shining surface they were standing on, still he was unable to explain what had just happened. 

Rufus reached out and grasped a hold of the silver haired man's arm, fighting in vain against what had just happened, but his knees were slowly giving in.

Tifa screamed.

Rude had to use all his strength to keep Reno from using his fists on the Sage.

Releasing the sword, Sephiroth grasped both of Rufus' arms as if he could keep him alive by pure willpower. Reptile eyes were filled with pain and guilt. "I thought they were after ME. I didn't think…" He tightened his grip as blue eyes were turning distant. "Rufus!" Turning a furious stare at the Sage, Sephiroth felt anger like he had not felt in many years. "Why? WHY did you do this? It was ME! I was the one who was supposed to die!"

The Sage gave a slight shake of his head. "The Cetra has no desire for your soul, son of Jenova. You're tainted. Untrustworthy."

Sephiroth trembled hard as he kneeled down and gently lowered Rufus into Tifa's lap. "It was supposed to be my death…"

The shape of the brat prince was turning blurry and sparks of green light were seeping into the ground.

Ignoring the panicking cries from Tifa, the Sage made himself look over at Gast and Ifalna again. "The promise is kept. You have no business here anymore."

The Masamune clattered to the ground, Rufus' fading body too weak to restrain it anymore.

Gast seemed to hesitate, but Ifalna gave his hand a light tug. "He's right. We have what we came for. Let's not make matters worse." She couldn't face the blaming eyes of her daughter or the burning hatred from Hojo. It was all for a greater cause, right?

"I trusted you!" Tifa screamed at the hovering Sage.

Keeping his eyes on Gast and Ifalna until they were gone, the Sage finally turned his gaze to the rapidly disappearing Rufus. "Sephiroth made a deal with the Cetra. Until that deal was fulfilled, there was nothing I could do." He waved his cane with a deep frown. "Now let's see if it's not too late…"

Sephiroth got up on shaky legs. "What do you mean…?"

"The deal was 'a life for a life'. Rufus ShinRa had to die and you had to kill him." The ground began to swirl with green color. "His life force had to be returned to the Lifestream and the deal is now fulfilled." Staring intently at the green swirls, the Sage suddenly rammed his cane into the ground. "Ah! There!"

A wisp of green smoke seeped out of the hole and slithered its way towards the barely visible Rufus.

Cloud frowned as he saw the liquid smoke seep into Rufus. "You're bringing him back?"

"But ain't this just gonna bring 'them' back as well?" Cid asked, equally unable to take his eyes off what was happening.

The Sage grinned. "The deal was fulfilled. They have no claim on Sephiroth now."

The tears that had dripped to the ground was now shattering against skin and Tifa's hands that had groped the air in vain was growing heavy with the burden of Rufus' body. The brunette sobbed with relief, bending over to clutch him tight and shut her eyes tightly when he gasped down his first breath of air.

Fighting to get control over his trembling limbs, Rufus managed to place a heavy arm around Tifa before gazing wide-eyed over at the Sage. "Don't you… EVER do that again!"

The Sage chuckled.

"How…" Reno asked quietly. "How did you do that?"

"The Lifestream used to be my blood." The Sage allowed the green colors in the ground to fade with a wave of the cane. "All souls that return to the Lifestream have their memories. It's what gives life new energy. When a soul merges with the Lifestream again, it brings with it memories of love, grief and hope, a much richer soul than when it left. As the souls grow, so does the Lifestream. I merely re-gathered the essence of our brat prince."

"And us," Jessie realized in a distant voice.

"Yes." The Sage gazed from her to Yuffie. "Like I've done with several of you."

"Excuse me, but…" Shera finally dared to step forward from her place behind Cid. "I still don't know 'why' we're here…"

"What she said," Barret mumbled as he tried to avoid looking at anything for more than two seconds.

And it was time to explain everything…

* * *

_When the Cetra arrived on the Planet, there grew a strong bond between two; different beings with the same love for all living things._

_A bond so strong they believed it could not be broken…_

_The Cetra lived in harmony with nature and her children, with mutual respect and affection._

_It took a crisis to shatter that connection; a Crisis from the sky._

_Jenova._

_Nobody saw the danger before it was too late._

_Before everyone started dying._

_At first, it was a hopeless battle with the Cetra and the Planet trying to fight off the virus they named the Crisis, but as time passed, it came to a point where the battle became more important than what they were actually fighting for._

_The Cetra was a peaceful race, but each soul infected by Jenova was not the only creature destroyed. It did something to the Cetra, having to watch their own turn on them; driven by some alien force that twisted them insane with the desire for blood and destruction._

_The Crisis could not be forgiven_

_Not ever._

_And the battle raged on, causing the Planet to cry in despair and agony, while the two forces kept colliding and making the end of this madness seemed further away than ever. The Cetra would not listen to the pleas of the Planet or the pain of humanity. Finally, it forced the unthinkable to happen: the very soul of the Planet tore free and returned to live among its children._

_The Cetra considered this the ultimate betrayal. They were now more certain than ever about their cause._

_The Crisis had to be destroyed, completely, and the Cetra would not rest until that was achieved._

_So the battle continued to rage on._

_Until the time came when it was clear how both sides were losing and something had to be done in order to prevent all life to be extinct. The Jenova virus kept spreading and the Cetra lost more and more of their kind._

_Friends, families, lovers; everyone turned on each other._

_Finally, a small group of Cetra gave their lives to bind Jenova in her lair and the fighting stopped._

_The war, however, was far from over._

_Jenova was trapped, but her evil heart was still beating and the Crisis was not defeated until every part of her was destroyed. She was merely abiding her time in the confinement, waiting for when the moment would come where she was once again unleashed on the world._

_After all, she had all the time in the world._

_Jenova could wait forever._

_And the Cetra knew this. As long as a mere cell of Jenova survived, she would return._

_Every infected being had to die for the fallen Cetra to be avenged. _

_Still, they had bought themselves much needed time when the Crisis had been sealed, and there was much discussion what to do with that time._

_If they were to defeat Jenova completely, they needed more power._

_More souls._

_When the Plan was presented, only a few Cetra objected while most agreed that they had no other choice. It was decided that they would fuse with the Lifestream and use the Planet's power against Jenova._

_As the WEAPONS were created, the handful Cetra that still believed in the old ways departed to live among the Planet's children, like its soul had chosen to do before them._

_Years passed and the Cetra started believing that the power of the Planet would not be enough to ensure victory, so they turned their eyes away from the core and towards the surface of the Planet._

_Humans were an unpredictable race at best, but there were a few souls worth noticing. Some of them had kind hearts and strong spirits; exactly what the Cetra needed for the final battle._

_The Cetra decided to break the ultimate rule and interfered with the lives of humans. Testing and training the ones who caught their eye, they recruited the strongest souls to fight in the name of the Planet._

_While they eliminated the ones who might be persuaded by Jenova's voice._

_Even if it meant their own kind._

_The Cetra that lived among the humans built the Cetra Capital in honor of the fallen ones and to communicate with the ones in the Lifestream, but more and more of them became tainted by humanity._

_Half breeds appeared as a result and these would become the pawns in the battle to come._

_Years came and went. Decades, centuries, even a __millennium__, while the Cetra hunted, trained and __strengthened__ their unknowing soldiers. They could not afford to lose this time. Everything was planned._

* * *

"Everything?" Sephiroth shook his head as he tried to piece together everything the Sage had just told them. "They've planned everything? Even me?" 

The Sage sighed. "The uncovering of Jenova was not a part of the Cetra plan, nor was your arrival, and it drove them to use their one weapon left on the planet." He gazed at the flower girl. "The one they had whispered and spun dreams for; a lone Cetra half breed. She would destroy the child of Jenova and Cloud Strife would be their tool for Hojo's downfall."

Cloud tensed and ignored Jessie's comforting touch on his arm.

"What about us?" Rufus asked tonelessly, not sure he really wanted to know the answer.

"They've been watching you for a long, long time, ShinRa." The Sage let his gaze slide over the pale faces watching him. "All of you."Cid stepped forward, almost angrily, and waves his arms confused. "That doesn't make any sense! If they got their eye on us, why put us through all that crap? That Jinrei creep wanted me dead!"

"You don't understand, Highwind. Who do you think sent Jinrei after you?" A short silence to allow the words to sink in. "The battle against Meteor. The battle against Jinrei. It has all been a part of their plan. You've all been finely tuned to reach your fullest potential."

Aeris didn't want to know, but she had to ask. "The children?"

"Now a part of their plan, yes."

Hawk stared at the ground and had to struggle to find his voice. "Wutai?"

"One of their finest achievements. By sacrificing the people, they obtained the strong warrior souls and the strengthening of yours and Kisaragi's." The Sage pretended he didn't hear the pained sob from the young ninja girl. "During all this time, they've only made two mistakes. They thought they could manipulate Aeris into abandoning Sephiroth. This cost them their only earth-bound daughter."

Nanaki glanced warily up at the small man "And their second mistake?"

The Sage chuckled heartily. "They forgot about me!" Seeing how the rest failed to see the genius of that statement, he cleared his throat and gathered himself again. "All these years on the planet have left me a little diminished, but I still have powers here. Power enough to fight."

"Fight who?" Cloud gesticulated from Aeris to Sephiroth. "The Cetra or Jenova?"

The beard hid most of it, but the wide grin was more felt than seen on the Sage's face. "Both!"

Rufus blinked. "Excuse me?"

"When I left the Planet in the Cetra hands, I still believed them capable of leading the children to a path of balance and peace." A defeated exhale of air. "I stopped believing that many life times ago. I've seen and known their downfall but cowardice has prevented me from doing what needs to be done." The ground flickered and images of spots of green grass among the pure white snow emerged. "I've grown to like my life. Become quite attached to my little house and my birdies, actually."

Reno turned his back to the old man to face Rufus, making small loops with his index finger by his temple to underline how insane he thought the Sage was and got promptly rewarded by Rufus' elbow in his ribs.

"But you've all shown me true strength," the Sage continued. "It is time I stopped hiding and returned to my true place. The Cetra will not welcome me home, I'm afraid, and Jenova will try to exploit the confusion."

Cloud let out a low growl as he shivered with impatience. "You still haven't explained why you've brought us here!"

"I did tell you." The Sage shrugged at all the confused looks. "It's time to fight."

"Fight," Cid echoed tonelessly as if the word was completely foreign to him.

"You were meant to become Cetra generals in the final battle and pawns in Jenova's game. I offer you a third option." The Sage tapped his cane lightly against the ground, showing more images from the towns and places they'd all been and loved. "Fight for yourselves."

"In other words, fight for you?" Cloud drawled suspiciously.

Cid frowned annoyed. "Can it, Strife. Let the man talk."

"He's no better than the others," Cloud declared. "He's just trying to manipulate us as well."

Sephiroth let his gaze linger on the Masamune. "No." His voice was barely heard over the murmuring. "He's the one soul who won't lie to us."

Allowing a faint smile, Aeris nodded. "We can trust him."

Cloud crossed his arms and stuck out his chin. "So what is the grand plan then?"

The Sage leaned heavily on his cane, as if his shoulders were suddenly carrying a burden far too heavy for the frail frame. "We bring the fight to them. To the Promised Land."

Hojo's eyes finally flickered with interest. "The Promised Land, eh?"

* * *

"Wait…" Rufus closed his eyes briefly and held up a hand. "There 'is' an actual Promise Land? I thought…" 

The Sage chuckled. "An amassment of mako is considered the Promised Land if you're searching for power and fortune, but I'm talking about the higher plane of existence. The very heart of this planet."

More confused looks were exchanged.

"It will become the battlefield between the Cetra and Jenova. I want to make it the final battlefield between them," said the Sage.

Cloud fought against an uneasy feeling. "How?"

A slight hesitation before the Sage continued his explaining. "When your life force leaves you on the planet, it returns to the Planet's Lifestream. It keeps living. If you should perish in the Promised Land, a place within the Lifestream itself, your soul is lost forever. All memories of that soul are gone, from the Planet and its children's hearts."

"Gone?" Aeris felt a cold shiver run through her. "You mean nobody would remember you at all? Ever?"

Hojo cleared his throat to gain their attention. "So… Basically you want the people here to become your private little army, which you intend to ship off to the Promised Land and fight your enemies. Correct?"

Cringing, the old man managed something reminding of a shrug. "Correct."

"Then why am I here?" Hojo gesticulated towards the others. "I get the Happy Meal Crew, but you honestly think I'm foolish enough to hold hands and march off to fight your war?"

"It would remove Jenova from the world."

Hojo scoffed. "I'm dead. Or, was and will be again. What do I care?" He pretended not to see the glare from both Aeris and Lucrecia.

Smiling, the Sage hovered closed to the dark haired scientist. "Because I can give you what you want."

This time, Hojo flinched before he clenched his jaw hard. "I seriously doubt that."

"Ho ho, really? What is it you want then?"

Hojo felt everyone's eyes on him and tensed like a cornered animal. "No one ever cares what I want, why should this be anything different?"

"Try me," the Sage challenged.

After trying to glare the old man into spontaneous combustion and failing, Hojo avoided his gaze. "I want… I just want to be left alone. Me and Lu." He violently despised how tiny his voice sounded and shied away from Lucrecia touching his elbow. "And possibly take over the world to make everyone my mindless slaves."

"Three years." The Sage glanced from one to the other, pausing on Cloud. "Accept this task and I can send you all back. Everyone. For three years."

Aeris wrung her hands nervously. "What about the children?"

"Should you fail…" The Sage bent his head enough to hide his face underneath the hat. "…your children will follow your path."

Shaking his head, Cloud turned away. "Forget it."

Cid and Shera exchanged a look and the pilot drew a deep breath. "So… we just gotta go and kick some Jenova and Cetra ass, right?"

Cloud started. "Cid! You can't be serious! This is not just about us, but you're dragging your child into it as well!"

"Yeah, a child I wanna meet, Strife." Cid tried a faint smile. "You don't miss Raito?"

Cloud flinched.

"Besides," Sephiroth mused thoughtfully, "we just have to make sure we defeat them and it won't be an issue, right?"

"Right!" Barret exhaled relieved and actually grinned for the first time since his arrival. "And we've fought some pretty dang tough guys! Them Cetra can't be much worse!"

Aeris shook her head. "Don't underestimate them…"

"Or the ones on their team," Lucrecia mumbled. "I'm safe to assume the Cetra has recruited their fair share of souls too?"The Sage nodded.

"Kadaj and his crew…" Sephiroth shifted uneasily. "What about them?"

"I will break the hold of Jenova on them, but they need to find their own path." The Sage declared quietly.

"So, we fight?" Rufus asked and glanced at each face in turn before pausing on Cloud.

Meeting Jessie's pleading look and then Aeris' worried eyes, Cloud exhaled heavily. "We fight."

The Sage gave an excited bounce. "Excellent! I knew I was doing a clever thing by placing my faith in you all!"

* * *

Gazing through the window, Rufus watched as a small crowd were digging out pieces from one of the many homes destroyed in Midgar by Chaos. A resigned and distant look in his blue eyes, the brat prince didn't even notice Tifa appearing by his side. 

"It wasn't your fault." She gingerly touched his arm in a consoling gesture.

Three days. It was now three days since they'd returned and agreed to the odd little man's deal.

"When Meteor shattered Midgar, I began rebuilding the city with dreams of making it a metropolis worthy of legends. And when Jinrei tore it all down again, I simply decided to make it even grander." Rufus then let out a heavy sigh. "It's over, Tifa…"

Moving closer, Tifa gave a little shake of her head. "No, Rufus. We can rebuild."

Rufus finally turned to face her. "Maybe Midgar is cursed. Maybe it was never meant to survive Meteor?" He shut his eyes tightly, fighting against dreams of the Lifestream, burning buildings and people calling his name without him being able to reply. "It's really over this time, Tifa…"

Turning back to look out the window again, the brat prince saw the three silver haired man gathered by the entrance to the ShinRa Tower. "You're not saying goodbye?"

Tifa cleared her throat with a faint smile. "No, we said our goodbyes last night…"

-

Sephiroth tried to appear unfazed as he watched the other two make final checks on their motorcycles. "So, you're sure about this?"

Patting the bag with supplies, Kadaj straightened with a sigh. "He's our brother."

"True, but…" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "How are you going to find him?" There had been no trace of Yazoo since he'd vanished three days ago. "He's long gone by now and could be anywhere!"

"Then we search everywhere," Kadaj replied simply.

Sephiroth failed to hide a faint smile. "Stubborn too. Family weakness, I suppose."

Kadaj gave a faint smile in return. "So it would seem."

Aeris stepped outside as well, carrying with her a small bundle containing her homemade cookies. "You're really leaving?"

Loz got on the bike and nodded. "Yeah. Our brother got a good head-start so we got no time to lose."

Nodding, she handed the bundle to him before she was pulled into a great hug. The flower girl returned the act with a soft laugh.

She'd grown fond of the two during the short days she'd known them. In fact, she had grown so fond of them that she'd endured it with a brave smile when Loz had yanked up huge fists with flowers from the church to offer Tifa. It was actually cute to see the big man struggling with his first crush.

"You take care, ok?" Aeris lightly patted Loz' cheek and smiled at the affable nod she got, before turning to Kadaj. "And you…" She sauntered over to him. "You find Yazoo and tell him…" Sephiroth raised his eyebrow again and Aeris hesitated; "…tell him that he needs to come home."

Kadaj got on the bike. "I will." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Thanks. Both of you."

-

"They gone?" Cid asked as Sephiroth and Aeris entered the meeting room.

"Yeah, they're determined to go looking for him," Aeris sighed.

It was still strange entering the room and finding everyone there, the ones they'd lost and now regained.

Cloud.

Yuffie, Hawk, Nanaki… even Lucrecia!

Cid tapped an empty cigarette box on the table. "You sound like you don't think they got a chance."

"It is a big world, with lots of places for someone to hide when they don't want people to find them," Sephiroth mumbled and sat down in his usual chair.

"If you want to find someone bad enough, you don't stop until you do." Vincent tried not to flinch when everyone turned to look at him. "Did we gather here to discuss the fate of Jenova's children?"

Rufus shook his head. "No. No, I think you all know why we're here."

An uneasy silence spread through the room. Yuffie took a silent hold of Hawk's hand, Reeve tried not to hyperventilate, Lucrecia just looked awkward as always, but everyone had traces of fear in their eyes.

"Three years, people," Rufus began. "We got three years to live our lives. After that, no one knows what will happen. With that in mind, I wanted to have this final meeting. We'll go our separate ways once we leave this room and meet again in three years."

Cloud frowned. "What are you saying, ShinRa?"

"I'm saying that we got three years and we got to press an entire life time into them." Rufus tilted his head. "I want to spend them with my family. What about you?"

"I think we're all on the same page there," Cid declared, glancing over at Shera, before facing the others again. "It's been fun, you guys."

Barret got up. "See ya in three years…!"

Sephiroth suddenly frowned. "Where is Hojo, by the way?"

Lucrecia shrugged. "I left him to baby sit the children."

"You did WHAT?"

"He didn't want to go to this meeting anyways," Lucrecia defended herself lazily. "Besides, it'll do him good to get out of his lab for once!"

-

"Nonono! Don't!" Hojo tightened his grip around the Raito's waist and reached out to grab a hold of Dawn's arm as she tried to make a mad dash for the door. "Get back here, you Valentine spawn!"

His eyes widened at the sight that met him over at his work desk. "Zefiris! You get down from those drapes!"

Hojo actually cursed violently as Raito finally managed to squirm free and Dawn used his confusion to make her own escape. "This is not fair, you cretins! All you had to do was eating the damn chocolate and watch the TV! Will you STOP that, you evil demons!"

The scientist came to a scudding halt after chasing Zefiris and heaved for air, unable to prevent Raito from knocking over a tower of files and Dawn from drawing on the wall.

Looking helplessly at the mayhem, Hojo swallowed hard. "Oh, this just not fair, Lu. I wasn't the one who decided that I got to return to the Planet these times and not you…" He flinched as Raito sent a microscope crashing to the floor. "Things cannot possibly get any worse than this…"

* * *

**_You will regret doing this, Deiq__ao._**

_**You gave me no choice…**_

_**Your little soldiers won't save you. You're being foolish.**_

_**Stop.**_

_**You wish Jenova gone too. Join us.**_

_**I can't.**_

_**Then it is war.**_

_**Why?**_

_**You give 'us' no choice.**_

_**Please… Don't do this…**_

**_Either you__ are with us or against us, Deiq__ao. You've chosen your side, and now you will die with your little pets. We shall not speak again._**

_**Forgive me, everyone…**_

* * *

_AN; The end of Lost and Found. And I hope to have the first chapter of Paradise Lost up soon. The final and last addition to what has turned out to become one long story! _

_Yes, I'm foolish enough that I want to write the final battle too, with all our heroes and them meeting their children again._

_I hope you might want to read it too!_


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